Restoration
by texbelle
Summary: Ten years ago, circumstance interrupted their destiny. Now it's time for everyone to go back to Forks for their 10 year high school reunion to face their past with hesitation, hope and maybe even regret. Can they reclaim what was lost? All human.
1. Special

**Restoration**: res·to·ra·tion (res′tə rā**′**shən) noun. The act of restoring or bringing back to a former place, station, or condition; the fact of being restored; renewal; reestablishment; as, the restoration of friendship between enemies; the restoration of peace after war.

* * *

CHAPTER 1: Special

BPOV

How much trouble could I possibly be in? Emmett was ALWAYS late and she never said a word. Maybe she never said anything because I was always there on time to entertain and to distract her from the fact that he was always late? Would it be too much to ask the universe that Emmett was on time on this particular day? The simple fact that my phone had been blowing up for the last 10 minutes should have been my warning that the universe had betrayed me.

Emmett and I had been summoned for an emergency meeting with a top secret agenda. After 12 years, we quit fighting against the category 5 tornado that was our dear friend, and we simply did as we were told. No questions asked.

I pushed through the impossible traffic desperately looking for a parking space and ignored my phone entirely. If I just focused on the drive, I would get to her faster, where I could plead my case sooner, and all would be right with the world. Honestly, how much trouble could I be in? _Silly Bella._

I finally found a parking spot, grabbed my day planner and my hand bag, and rushed up the hill to the coffee shop. I rounded the corner to find her petite, slight, anger filled frame stalking a path along the length of the little patio. She looked down at her phone, punched the buttons furiously and let go a string of profanities that would have made Emmett proud. Suddenly, she froze. She lifted her gaze, cocked her head slowly towards me, lifted a tiny hand to her gigantic sunglasses and tipped them down her nose slightly.

"Clearly, you don't care for my fragile mental state OR my big news!" Alice accused.

I was still trying to catch my breath from running up the hill, and she was laying it on pretty thick. I moved towards her, kissed her "hello," and gave her a quick squeeze on the shoulders.

"Don't you know by now that I live for your news and that your mental state and general well being are always at the top of my priority list, which is probably why my own life is a total train wreck? I'm sorry I'm late. Where's Em?"

I stood smiling apprehensively in front of her, biting my lower lip and waiting for the wrath of the militant, little pixie to unfold. All she could muster on this Sunday morning was a scrunched up nose in that _Bewitched_ kind of way, an audible pout and a slight stomp of her size 5 foot.

"He's late as usual. And just so you know, missy, you are both on my shit list," she stated in an exasperated tone. With that, Alice danced back to the little café table she had saved for us, plopped herself into the chair, crossed her legs, pushed her sunglasses back up on her face, and put the straw of her iced latte to her prissy little lips.

She sucked down half of the drink before I turned on my heel to face her. By the time I situated myself in the chair opposite her, I heard the distinct slurp of an empty beverage sliding up the straw.

"Alice?"

"What?!" she practically yelled at me.

"How many coffee drinks have you had this morning?" I asked cautiously. Anything that contributed to Alice being MORE high strung was dangerous.

She sank back into the chair, clutched her now empty plastic cup and answered me. "Only three… But you guys were late, and you know I get nervous. I think I have an oral fixation thingy," she said waiving her hand at me. "I need gum, or a straw or a cigarette. Oh, don't look at me like that. You know I don't smoke," her tone escalated, and she pointed at me. "Back to the real issue, you and Emmett are late! Don't you turn this on me! Where the _hell_ is Emmett?!" she yelled.

"Alice. Put down the iced latte and repeat after me. Caffeine is not my friend."

She sighed and put the empty cup on the table. "Caffeine is not my friend."

"Thank you." I placed my bag on the back of the chair and shuffled my day planner in front of me. Just out of my line of sight, I could see she was watching me, waiting for a bigger apology or at least a better explanation of why I was late. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs.

"I'm really sorry I'm late. I just had the hardest time getting out of the house this morning." I pressed on with my explanation. "I know you don't believe that people _have_ bad days. You believe that people _choose_ bad days, but I have to tell you that whatever you want to call it, I'm having one of those today, so I need you to cut me a little slack."

Alice's expression softened a little as she shifted in her seat and placed her hands in her lap. She said nothing.

"Please?" I asked.

"Fine," she conceded and a tiny little twisted edge of a smile started a slow creep across her face.

I'd known Alice since we were little kids, and I still couldn't catalog all of her quirks and expressions. This particular smirk seemed especially wicked, which intrigued me. She always intrigued me, and probably always would.

"Seriously? You're fine? I don't want to drop this if more groveling is required. You can't bring this back up in 2 min- UGH!" I was totally blindsided. Emmett wrapped my entire drawn up body into a huge bear hug. His head came crashing down on my shoulder as he growled loudly into my neck and lifted me out of my seat.

"Hells Bells!! I've missed you so much!" He swung me around with my back curled up against his chest. My feet were flailing, and I couldn't really do anything more than squeak out a totally pathetic girly squeal. He was laughing at full volume while hugging me so tight I could barely breathe.

"If you don't put me down this instant I swear to everything holy I will puke on you!" I choked out.

"Oooh, Em. I can't deal with puke," Alice said. "Put her down. It's all fun and games until someone pukes."

With that, he stopped spinning and gently released his grip, allowing me to untangle myself. Once my feet were on solid ground, I steadied the vertigo by squatting on the ground with my head between my knees.

"Dang, Bella! Are you okay?" Emmett's voice, although concerned, was still colored with a low chuckle. He rubbed his hand in small circles on my back.

Without raising my head or straightening my stance, I raised one hand above my head and gave him the thumbs up. "I'm fine," I mumbled.

I still had trouble admitting how delicate I was. I wanted to be the tough girl. I should be the tough girl, but I wasn't. I couldn't even manage a bear hug from Emmett without getting queasy.

"Sorry, Bella. I just haven't seen you in a week. You missed the last super secret, but very regular meeting of the 'trés amigos.'" He laughed, "And I have to tell you that 'dos amigos' doesn't make such a fun meeting."

I straightened up and made my way back to my seat.

Alice promptly smacked him on the shoulder as he sat down next to her. "I am so offended!"

"Oh please, Alice! You even said it was crap because Bella wasn't there." Emmett teased her, "You have no idea how much it hurt my feelings when you said that. I'm a person Alice… with feelings." He threw his head back in fake protest and started to wail the most obnoxious cry I'd ever heard.

I laughed out loud, enjoying my friend and appreciating his talent for annoying Alice.

"Shut it, Em," Alice demanded.

Emmett obeyed and settled into his chair, and I stifled my laugh to a mere giggle. He only sat still for a matter of seconds and then excitedly reached over to both Alice and me. He patted his flat hands on our knees, and bounced in his chair like a 5 year old. "I'm so excited to see you guys! What's new? What's going on?!"

I put my hand on Emmett's to stop the spasm on my knee, squeezed his fingers and let go. I stood up. "Before we get to that, I need a minute. I haven't gotten my coffee yet."

"Sure. Go right ahead," Alice chirped. "Take your time."

"Awesome."

Emmett piped up with his coffee order. "Hey Bella, can you get me a half caf, sugar-"

"-free soy latte? Yes, Em, I can. I always do." Emmett hadn't actually ordered or paid for his own coffee when he was out with Alice or me since sometime in early 2004. I left my friends at the table and went inside.

As I stood in line to order our drinks, I looked past the patrons sitting inside the coffee shop and through the plate glass at Emmett and Alice. These two held my history and my future. They were my lifelong friends. Alice had raised her sunglasses to the top of her head now and had drawn him into a fierce conversation. What kind of scheme could she be hatching now?

But Emmett's body language said something other than 'scheme.' He was shaking his head back and forth at Alice. He then rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head.

_Uh oh. That can't be good. _

APOV

"Is everything set, Em?"

"Duh!" Emmett hated the insinuations that he was slightly irresponsible.

"So you've got the time off and the jeep all checked out?" I baited him.

"Jeez, you can be such an unbelievable nag sometimes."

I waved him off. "Do you think she has any idea what we're up to?"

"No way. How could she ever guess this?" He shook his head left to right. "Does she have any clue you've got this whole thing planned? I bet you a dollar she won't go."

"What makes you think she WOULDN'T want to go? What are you thinking?"

Emmett hunched over, dropped his elbows to his knees and hung his head. His words tumbled to the sidewalk as a smirk crept across his face. "Guess who finally called me back two nights ago?"

"Shut! Up!" I slapped Emmett's arm.

"Ow!" Emmett rubbed his now stinging bicep. "Yep, we talked for about an hour. He's in."

I could feel my eyes draw into a suspicious squint but I tried to feign any real interest. "He's in on the whole thing?"

"Yes ma'am. He hasn't called you?" Emmett was surprised.

"Er… No. The last time we spoke, I wasn't very nice to him. He probably thinks I'm still a cranky-pants and doesn't want to deal with me until he has to." Then I was curious. "Did he ask about us?"

"He did. He always does." Emmett sat still. "I think you and Bella both have a selective memory when it comes to him."

"I know," I sighed.

"Don't you think its time to let him off the hook? He left me, too, and you didn't see me wringing my hands and looking for new ways to punish him over the last 10 years." Emmett leaned back into his chair with one eyebrow cocked.

"What exactly are you referring to, Emmett Cullen?" Emmett had turned the whole conversation on me. "I wasn't punishing anyone."

"What if this whole thing backfires on us?" Emmett brought me back to the present as he questioned my current, brilliant plan.

"Not possible," I stated. I was sure of it.

Emmett's laugh boomed across the patio. "If you say so."

"I _do_ say so."

He reached across the table and mussed my hair. "Look at you, working so hard to be Julie the Cruise Director." Emmett cautioned, "Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work out."

"Oh, don't you worry about me. It's going to work out."

I thought about the scope of my plan. All of us were supposed to be back together again, all six of us. If Emmett knew the extent of my plan, he'd kill me. The wheels were already in motion.

_No stopping this bus now. _

BPOV

When I got back to our little table, it seemed our meeting was underway... without me. I put Emmett's coffee on the table in front of him. Alice positioned her gigantic Jackie O' glasses back on her face as she stared straight ahead with a silly grin, and Emmett leaned back in his chair, knotted his hands behind his head, and looked up to the sky. Something was up.

"Has the meeting been brought to order without me?" I asked nervously.

"Sit down, Bella. We've got a surprise for you," Alice snapped her head at me.

_Oh no. Not good. I hate surprises. Surprises never turn out the way they're intended. _

"We're taking a trip next weekend!" Alice squealed.

"It's a road trip, Bella!!" Emmett sat up and shook his burly fist in the air. "Woo Hoo!!"

"A road trip? Where? Why?" I was so confused.

"You remember a couple of months ago when we got the letters from the Forks Alumni Association? Well, I decided that we were going. We're all going home for the big Forks High School 10 year reunion!" Alice could tell I was forming my protest. She continued, "Charlie already knows you're coming," she said, indicating my father. "I've talked to Angela and Mike, and everyone is so excited. They're all expecting us, so there is no backing out. Understand?"

"Yeah, baby!" Emmett was more enthused than this news warranted. He looked at me eagerly.

"Great." I could barely pretend I was interested. _What were they thinking? I hated high school. _

Emmett snickered at my response. "Say you'll go, Bella. It won't be any fun without you… Remember, 'trés amigos' good – 'dos amigos' bad." He winked and pointed a finger in Alice's direction.

_I usually see Emmett and Alice at least 2 or 3 times a week. Who else would I be interested in seeing? _

I looked between Emmett and Alice with their pathetic little faces. Emmett reached over and took my left hand and held it to his chest, and then, in a sweet sing-song voice, he said, "you have to go if you want to get a special surprise."

Alice kicked him under the table and hissed at him, "subtle, Em."

Emmett winced, but he continued, adjusting his approach slightly. "What? The whole point of this pow wow was to tell her."

"Tell me what?"

Emmett took a breath and then said, "If I asked you who you would least expect at the reunion, who would you name?"

I stared blankly at Emmett unable to imagine whom I might not be expecting, and who in the world it could be about whom they were being this cautious with me. His face told me that I should be prepared. I didn't know if I wanted to know the answer. I could feel the heat beginning to creep across my face as I looked down at my right hand, which lay in my lap. I was nervous.

_No. It wasn't possible._

Always my protector, Emmett read my tension, and he squeezed my left hand since it was still resting on his chest. He put his other hand on my back and began to rub. "Bella?" he asked cautiously. "Breathe, Bella."

Maybe it _was_ possible. My face shot up from my lap and my eyes darted between Emmett and Alice. It felt like my heart was going to explode in my chest. There was only one person on the planet that would ever demand this much attention from us. I wish I could say that I was still mad at him and that I didn't want to see him, but I did. Was it possible that he was really coming back into our lives?

_Was he finally coming back to me?_

I tried to play it cool. "Edward's coming home?"


	2. You Could Be Happy

**Author Notes: ****Thanks so much for all the great reviews and encouragement to keep going. I hope you all like chapter 2 just as much. **

**A big part of the writing process for me is music. All the chapters' names are all song titles and I'm listing a "soundtrack" so to speak on my bio page with youtube video links. **

**Chapter 2 song is "You Could Be Happy" by Snow Patrol. **

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **_

Chapter 2: You Could Be Happy

BPOV

I sat cross legged in the middle of my bedroom floor, zipping my suitcase, packing my oversize travel handbag and getting my final pre-trip instructions from Alice. "No, you don't need to check my bags, and yes, Alice, I promise I packed all my new clothes."

"And shoes?"

"And shoes! Jeez! You are a nag!" I teased her with one of Emmett's favorite zingers.

"OH! And bring a pillow too," she ordered.

"Why would I need a pillow? It's less than a four hour drive, and with Emmett driving, it'll be more like 3," I protested. "It's not like Charlie doesn't have a pillow for me."

"Fine, don't listen to me. I just don't want to hear about it when Emmett starts singing," she laughed. "You know how Emmett loves to sing on road trips, and if you don't bring your own pillow, you'll have no respite of sweet silence for the entire trip. But suit yourself."

"Nice call, Alice. I'll throw in my iPod, too, for good measure."

"I don't know why you're insisting on staying at Charlie's, but that's not any of my business. You do what you want," she said, trying to sound convincing, as if she was okay with my independent decision. "You know where we'll be in case you change your mind."

"I know, I know. I just promised Charlie I wouldn't just blow through town without as much as a 'hello' to him." I was only telling a half truth, and Alice knew it. Charlie's house was a lot less scary than being thrown into the fire completely doused in gasoline. I got up off the floor and set my suitcase upright.

"Okay then, goodnight, Bella. Em and I should be there by 6:30 to pick you up." She really couldn't help herself, she WAS "Julie the Cruise Director," "Shall I give you a wake up call?" she asked.

"You really are this person, aren't you, Alice?" I giggled at my friend.

"Would you have it any other way?" she questioned.

"Absolutely not."

"That's what I thought," she said smugly. "So, 'yes' or 'no' on the wake up call?"

"Yes, please. 6:00?"

"Already on my checklist. Sleep tight, Bella. Love you."

"Love you too, Alice." I flipped my phone shut.

I moved my suitcase and my bag to the living room by the front door. I picked up my iPod off of the counter and dropped it into the bag and smiled while thinking of Emmett and the road trip concert Alice and I would be subjected to. I went to the bathroom and changed into my "old man" pj's, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put my hair into a sloppy bun right on top of my head. I put my phone on the nightstand, put lotion on my hands and feet, slid under the covers and waited for the anxiety to come. This exact same ritual had happened every night since Emmett and Alice told me about the reunion.

There had been a flurry of activity in preparation for the trip; none of those activities had been my idea. Alice dragged me to stores I'd never even heard of, scheduled mani's and pedi's, facials, and hair cuts. I'm not sure if Alice had used these errands as distractions or if I honestly needed that much help. Whatever the intention, I was grateful. When I was with Alice and busy, my thoughts were quiet. But now, as I lay in bed fighting the ghosts of my past and begging for sleep, I struggled with the memories. Vivid remembrances and sharp photographic flashes kept me tossing and turning.

Everything about Edward had been so perfect. It was as if I had gone through some kind of cosmic list of qualities, checked the appropriate boxes, and he had been made especially for me. His physical characteristics mesmerized me, from his sparking, green eyes and thick, copper hair to his perfect body, but it was his nature and the care in which he regarded me that always took my breath away. 10 years later, I wonder if this kind of perfection actually existed, or had time made my memories of him and us more idyllic than it was in reality.

_Turn off the light and just go to sleep. _

Edward and I were friends for years, but had only dated for 6 months, somewhere between my junior and senior year. Those 6 months are burned into my soul as the most perfect, exciting, intense, and blissful time of my entire life. I've spent the last 10 years comparing every date to a seventeen year old boy and every relationship to ours. I kept that admission close to my heart.

He had been lost to me so many years ago with no hope that our circumstances would ever change. How was it that my grown up heart still wanted what my 18 year old self had loved?

_Stupid, stupid Bella. Let it go. _

I hadn't spoken to Edward in almost 2 years. For a while we seemed to touch-base at least 2 or 3 times a year. I always thought it was more or less because Emmett threatened to hurt him if he didn't try, rather than the fact that he had any real interest. We had both been getting on with the business of starting our grown up lives. He was in London, and I was in Seattle. At the time, I was in a relationship and he was "playing the field," which I assumed meant he had turned into a giant man-whore. Admittedly, it wasn't a fair assumption, but it was fun to tease him in that way. I tried to keep it light, trying not to sound like I still missed him and like I was happy. We kept the conversation simple and impersonal, dancing around anything that would bait the other, and then we ran out of safe things to say. It's interesting how prolific my mind was when weaving lies, while my heart was screaming to tell the truth.

_It doesn't matter. _

_Liar! _

What kind of lie was I willing to tell myself now that I was hours away from seeing him again? That he can't affect me after all these years? That a look from across the room, not to mention a touch, won't make my heart flutter? That I won't physically react to the sound of his velvety voice when he speaks to me? That almost every single day of the last 10 years, I hadn't thought of him at least once? And finally, could he ever live up to all the hopes and dreams that I sacrificed at his feet when he left?

_No one is that perfect. This is silly, you're not THAT unhappy. You've had a good life. _

I did have a good life. I loved my job in communications and marketing with a big PR firm in Seattle. I had a great apartment, great friends, and a decent relationship with my parents. But good relationships had always eluded me. I really tried, and I can honestly say that I've been an equal opportunity dater as I rarely turn down an invitation. But it's as if I speak a completely different language than every man I've ever been involved with. The puzzle pieces just don't fit. Not like they did with Edward.

_Why are you doing this to yourself? First love is never supposed to last. _

I used to be so sure that Edward and I had just burned so bright that we consumed each other, and that's why there were no survivors. The only hitch in that theory was that he and his family moved away only just as we caught fire. Relationship interrupted.

_Quit being so neurotic! This weekend doesn't have to be some destined end to your fractured fairytale. What if he isn't available? What if he brings a date? What if he's happy?_

I couldn't think anymore about the monumental emotional landslide seeing Edward might trigger. I didn't care. The prayer of my 18 year old self was about to be answered, but was it all going to be too little too late? Would I be able to face him without showing all the hurt of that teenage girl? Would we have the same easy banter and electricity we had a million years ago that has eluded me in every relationship since? But more importantly, at the end of the weekend, would I be able to summon the strength to watch him walk away … again? I felt like it was my greatest joy and greatest fear all wrapped up in one fated opportunity.

_Goodnight, Edward. _

My mind gave in to exhaustion, and my body gladly surrendered to sleep. That night, I dreamed about Edward.

APOV

I'd spent a better part of 3 days primping and shopping with Bella. Knowing her, she'd leave everything we bought in the bags with tags on and bring her same ol' crap. This weekend was about second "first impressions," and I was taking this all very seriously. "Will I need to inspect your bags in the morning, Bella, to make sure you brought all your stuff? Or did you pack all your new clothes?"

"No, you don't need to check my bags, and yes, Alice, I promise I packed all my new clothes."

Just to make sure I asked, "And shoes?"

"And shoes! Jeez! You are a nag!" Bella was clearly channeling Emmett.

If she was that touchy about the shoes, I wasn't even going to ask her about all the new lingerie. She thought I was completely wicked for making her buy new undies, but I have seen her underwear drawer, and while I agree there is nothing better than a high leg cotton brief from Victoria's Secret, I was not sending Bella Swan off to her 10 year reunion and Edward Cullen in cotton panties, but I didn't tell her that. I justified the purchases by suggesting that by simply wearing sexy underneath makes you feel sexy on the inside, and it shows on the outside. She bought it.

I suddenly remembered the last road trip I took with Emmett and the marathon sing along that was part of the deal, "OH! And bring a pillow too."

"Why would I need a pillow? It's not like Charlie doesn't have a pillow for me," she protested.

_When will everyone learn that I know better than them?_

"Fine, don't listen to me. I just don't want to hear about it when Emmett starts singing." Sure she was laughing now, but one can only hear his version of "Blackhole Sun" so many times before you begin to pray for death. I never understood the influence that grunge music from the 90's had on Em. A car trip with Emmett was a little like a live soundtrack from the movie "Singles," but only worse. "You know how Emmett loves to sing on road trips, and if you don't bring your own pillow you'll have no respite of sweet silence for the entire trip. But suit yourself."

She thanked me for my suggestion.

"I don't know why you're insisting on staying at Charlie's, but that's not any of my business. You do what you want. You know where we'll be in case you change your mind." Edward's parents had invited all the wayward children coming home for the reunion to stay at their house. I guess Bella thought it would be uncomfortable, or maybe she thought it was presumptive. What if she and Edward didn't reconnect?

_Not possible. _

Bella hid behind some excuse that she needed to spend some time with Charlie. Please. As if Charlie isn't going to be in that damn fishing boat all weekend. She'll end up with us, but I'll let her delude herself a little while longer.

"Okay then, goodnight, Bella. Em and I should be there by 6:30 to pick you up." Not wanting to leave anything to chance, I offered, "Shall I give you a wake up call?"

"You really are this person, aren't you, Alice?"

"Would you have it any other way?" I pouted. _As if!_

"Absolutely not," she replied. _Good girl, Bella. _

I sat in the middle of my closet floor, deciding how many pairs of shoes I should bring. My packing was almost done.

Bella accepted the offer for the wake up call, we said our goodnights, and like we had since we were teenagers, said "I love you," before we hung up. We were sisters in every sense of the word; blood wouldn't have made it any more real to us. We were as different as night and day, but our connection was immediate and unbreakable from the time we first met when we were little girls.

Since I didn't ever have much of a family, I always found my family in my friends. They were the chosen ones. It never felt more like a family than when we were in high school together. Bella, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and I were inseparable. Inseparable until Edward's dad got some big job in Europe, and he had to move away.

When Edward moved away, it was if the heart of our little family went with him. Truth be told, Bella never really recovered. The rest of us survived okay, but we couldn't keep our group together with one of us missing. Emmett and Rosalie had been dating, but they fought all the time after Edward left, so Bella and I always felt as if we had to choose sides. They eventually broke up.

Jasper had been my best friend since kindergarten, so it had been natural for us to evolve into sweethearts as we got older. I loved Jasper from the minute he laid down on the mat next to me at naptime in Miss Wilson's class. I never thought we would meet the same fate as everyone else in our group did. We graduated from high school, went to different colleges and lost touch. That is, until we bumped into each other in LA about a month ago.

I was in LA for a conference and was standing in line at a Starbucks on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood when I saw a messy blonde head and a profile that I recognized. My eyes weren't sure it was Jasper, but my heart was sure. I could barely wait for them to call that my drink was ready so I could get to him. While I was waiting for my drink, I pulled out my compact just to check that everything was still in place. I looked pretty flawless since I had just left my hotel 5 minutes earlier, so I snapped the compact shut and touched my fingertips to my lips in anticipation. I stared at him sitting outside under an umbrella as he read the paper.

I got my coffee, put my bag over my shoulder and clicked my little, red, patent leather shoes through the store, making a beeline to Jasper. He was reading his paper, so he never saw me coming. I stood in front of him and said the first thing that came to mind, "Hi, handsome." I had to admit it wasn't very interesting, but it did the trick.

Jasper saw my shoes first, and then his eyes followed up the length of my body, until we were staring at each other from behind our sunglasses. A perfect Jasper smile spread across his face. At first, he didn't say anything, and neither did I. He slowly stood up, raised his hand to take off the coolest aviator sunglasses I've ever seen, and stepped right up to me. He reached up with both hands, took my sunglasses off, and smiled even bigger.

I smiled back at him. "Hi," was all I could manage.

"Hi," he said back. Then, he wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me into the most electrifying hug I'd ever experienced. I threw my arms around his neck, and he lifted me off the ground. I was back where I belonged.

Needless to say, I ditched the conference that day and spent the entire afternoon with Jasper. To be perfectly honest, I blew off the conference all together and spent every single second of that weekend with Jasper.

It was during that lost weekend in LA that the whole reunion plan was hatched. If Jasper and I had found each other again, why couldn't we help get everyone else back together as well? It would be easy to get Rosalie and Emmett on board, because I had the inside track on Em, and Rosalie was Jasper's sister. Edward and Bella, however, would prove to be a little tricky.

Edward was living in London, and I suspected that Bella would not go quietly into that good reunion. Since they were cousins, I'd assigned Emmett to figure out how to get Edward there, and I'd figure out Bella. Success! Both rogue participants were confirmed.

After the Edward surprise was revealed at our emergency meeting last weekend, both Emmett and Bella thought that was it. They had no idea that Jasper and I spent that weekend together, that we'd been talking every day since, or that Jasper and Rosalie were coming to the reunion, too.

I picked up my phone and flipped it open. I dialed the familiar number and waited for an answer.

"Hey, baby."

"Hey, baby," I cooed back.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" Jasper asked.

"About 6:30, which means we'll be in Forks before 10 in the morning. What time does your flight land in Port Angeles?"

"I think sometime around noon. But by the time we get the rental car and get to Forks, it will be around 1:00 or so," Jasper explained. "Then we check in at the Dew Drop Inn, and I brace myself for the wrath of Rosalie."

"She might be pissy for a little while, babe, but once she sees us all at the reunion, she'll understand."

"I don't know, Alice," Jasper said, and he sounded a little scared.

"You are only going to be in that hotel room for a matter of hours. She just has to get ready there." I tried to make it better. "Don't let her torture you too much, though. I don't envy you in this task, Jasper, but it's what must be done for the good of the surprise."

Jasper sighed. With anticipation in his voice, he asked, "When will I see you?"

I was getting ready to sacrifice my _own_ needs for the good of the surprise, and I didn't like it one little bit. "I promised Bella I'd hang out with her at Charlie's and get ready together like we did when we were kids, so I don't think we'll see each other until the Mixer tomorrow night. There is no way I can sneak out," I said sadly. "Rosalie still doesn't suspect anything, right?"

"Er… no, but-,"

I interrupted him, "I know, Jasper, it's not a perfect situation, but for the sake of the surprise and for our friends, I think we should wait. You know how I love a big reveal."

"I do, Alice." He seemed to understand and was willing to be patient to satisfy my meddling.

_This is all going to be so perfect. _

EPOV

Heathrow on a good day was painful, but on this particular day, I didn't even notice that Terminal 5 was bursting at the seams. I was going home for the first time in too many years. More importantly, I was going home to Bella for the first time… ever.

_I wonder if she'll be happy to see me. _


	3. Last Goodbye

**Author Notes: I am always so surprised and taken by all your lovely comments. I really, really appreciate all of the reviews. Thanks for taking the time to tell me what you think!**

**Be sure to check to bio page for this chapter's namesake - Last Goodbye by the amazing Jeff Buckley. **

**Special thanks to Tigress for being such a great beta and really fun friend. **

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **_

CHAPTER 3: Last Goodbye

EPOV

_"Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned off the Fasten Seat Belt sign, and you may now move around the cabin. However we always recommend you keep your seat belt fastened while you're seated. You may now turn on your electronic devices such as calculators, CD players and laptop computers." _

I had roughly 9 hours to contemplate the course of my life and revel in the action I've finally taken to take charge of that course. I took out my iPod, put on some Jeff Buckley and reclined my business class seat in full and took stock. Since the high school reunion coincided with a job promotion and a permanent transfer back to the States, I couldn't help but think there was some kind of cosmic alignment and it was all fated. Without Emmett's call and the reunion plan he and Alice had hatched, I don't know that I would have had the opportunity or the guts to find my way back into her life so soon. It's hard to believe that in 36 hours, we'd be in the same room.

I still felt a little like a party crasher going to a reunion with a class that I technically didn't graduate with, even though I was there for almost all four years, but like Emmett said, "Who the hell do you think is going to be policing the attendee list? I'd like some jack ass to TRY to throw you out!" He was right. I'd earned a place at that reunion, so I wasn't going to feel bad about it if anyone was in a snit that I was there. It only really mattered to me what Bella thought about my being there. I can't imagine she'd kick me out… at least, I hoped she wouldn't.

This reunion business had stirred up a lot of old memories and emotions for me. I knew how much I'd missed. I understood my parent's decision then and had been comfortable with my decision to stay in the UK to go to school and start my career, but there were some days that I still felt cheated. On this day, the eve of what seemed like a dozen different reunions, that's exactly how I felt. Cheated.

The six of us had been inseparable. I can't recall a Saturday morning that my parents didn't have to step over a mine field of sleeping teenagers. Rosalie and Emmett were the only ones who ever had balls enough to sneak in a little tickle here and there in the laundry room, and the rest of us teased them mercilessly for it. My house had always been home base, and my parents had taken every last one of them in as their own. For a long time after we left Forks, I felt guilty about how they might manage without a home base. I still mourned for the relationships I left so many years ago.

I can still remember every detail about the day that I had to tell Bella that Dad had taken his dream job in London, and that my family was leaving. I remember what she was wearing, how her hair danced in the breeze, how her tears tasted under my pleading kisses, and how my face stung where she slapped me. I didn't blame her for slapping me. I was leaving, but I was helpless to do anything about it.

A month was all we had. We had to try to squeeze a lifetime into 30 days, and it wasn't enough. There was such a heavy cloud looming over us that we couldn't really enjoy what time we had. We weren't suffering on our own in this; our friends were along for the ride too. Bella cried at everything, and nothing I did made it better. It was worse when I cried with her. Even at 17, I knew what I was leaving behind. Everyone was sorry, but no one but Bella and I understood the sacrifice.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the flight attendant asking me something. My iPod was still humming in my ears, so I had to pull one of the ear buds out, "I'm sorry?"

"Chicken or beef?" she asked flatly.

"Nothing for me, thanks. I'm fine."

She pushed her heavy cart forward, leaving me to my thoughts.

The night before we left Forks, I drove through the rain to her house. I climbed the tree next to Bella's bedroom window and climbed in. I stood soaking wet before her. Without words, she rolled out of bed, picked up a towel off the rocking chair and came to me. She was wearing one of my old t-shirts and a pair of boxers, and I honestly couldn't remember a time when she looked more beautiful…more like "my Bella." She rested one hand on my shoulder while she gently wiped the rain from my face, and then carefully rubbed the towel through my wet hair. I bent my head down so she could reach better, and she kissed my temple.

Ours was an impossible situation, and the fact that we'd never slept together made this one of the most intense and intimate moments we'd shared. She reached her hands under the hem of my drenched sweater and lifted it over my head, then she tossed it across the arm of the rocking chair. I reached out to her, touching both her arms, rubbing gently from her shoulder to her elbow. She kept her silence, never meeting my gaze, as she lovingly traced her hands over my damp t-shirt, across my chest and down my sides, resting at the waist of my jeans. I didn't flinch as she unbuttoned my jeans, unzipped them and began to tug them down over my hips. My jeans were wet, so she had to work a little, but she was diligent and gentle. I slowly kicked off my shoes and stepped out of them, leaving my shoes and my wet jeans in a crumpled mess on the floor. She looked into my eyes, took my left hand in hers and led me to her bed.

I stopped her at the edge the bed and brought my right hand to her face and kissed her sweetly on the lips, and then, I looked deep into her eyes. I wanted to see her face and make sure she knew that we didn't have to do anything she wasn't ready for. There was no expectation on my end. I just needed to be here with her. She smiled at me, and I knew she completely understood.

Every fiber of my being wanted to take her completely, but we'd run out of time do that properly. Bella deserved more than this one night of awkward teenage lust. But more importantly, I don't think I could have lived with myself if I had taken her innocence that night and then disappeared in the morning. I didn't want our first time together to be our last. Unrequited love seemed so much more noble and sacrificial than stealing her virtue and turning tail. We both deserved more than what we could offer each other right then, and we both knew it.

She wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her head on my chest, while I nestled my nose and my lips in her hair just breathing her in and kissing the top of her head. I held her there for a long time, wishing that so many things were different.

Bella let go of me and sat on the edge of the bed. She took my hand as she slid over to the middle of the bed and tugged at me to join her there. She pulled back the covers and wrapped me up in the blankets and in the warmth of her embrace. We lay on our sides with our faces just inches apart, staring at each other with our legs intertwined. Our hands were wound together, just under our chins between us.

This night had always been one the most significant moments of my entire life. The fact that we didn't say one single word to each other, but we understood exactly what the other needed, spoke so much about the kind of connection Bella and I had. We didn't grope and paw all over each other, but held each other through the night. We were saying "goodbye." It wasn't sex, but it was exactly the kind of intimacy each of us needed.

When the time came for me to leave her, it was harder than I ever could have imagined. I woke up before her and just watched her as she slept. How would I ever be able to leave this beautiful creature? I untangled myself from her without waking her and got dressed. I sat in the rocking chair beside her bed, put my elbows on my knees, watching Bella breathe, and then, I hung my head. The inevitable had come to claim me, and it was time to leave.

"It's almost time for you to go, isn't it?" Bella asked quietly.

I looked up at her, wiping away my tears. She was lying on her side, with her hands tucked under her pillow looking at me with her sad, brown eyes.

"Almost," I choked out.

That morning, standing in front of the open window and holding each other, we kissed slowly and deliberately as if we were both trying to memorize every second of it and, with that, every detail of each other. We both knew our kisses were limited, and neither of us wanted to be the one to let go first. I broke the kiss to look at her. Tears were pouring freely down her cheeks, and I distinctly saw the familiar glint of spirit in her eyes flicker out. I knew I had witnessed the exact moment that I had broken her heart.

I reached up and held her face between my hands. I was crying with her now and began to kiss away her tears on her cheeks. She placed her hands on mine, brought my lips back to her mouth, and whispered against my lips, "Come back to me."

I kissed her a little more deeply and with a great deal of urgency. I wrapped both of my arms tight around her waist and pulled her closer. She pulled away from me to catch her breath and dropped her head back. My lips trailed along her cheek, to her jaw, and then to the hollow beneath her ear, and I whispered, "I love you, Bella Swan."

Her head came crashing down against me and I could feel her body tremble and shake as her sobs escaped her control. All she could manage was a nod. I understood what she couldn't say. We didn't need words. I buried my face in the space between her neck and her shoulder and held her so tight I thought I might actually hurt her. My own tears flowed freely now. I don't know how long we stood there crying, but we cried until there was nothing left - nothing left to cry and nothing left to say. She let go first and kissed me one last time. Then, I turned to climb out the window and down the tree.

I looked up at her once I was on the ground standing underneath her window. She laid her head down on her folded arms that were resting on the window sill. She touched her left hand to her lips and pushed it palm forward towards me and then folded her little fingers into a fist, before she brought it back to rest under her chin. I held up one hand and started walking backwards away from her. I was afraid to turn my back to her, as if she would disappear the second I turned away. I got half way through her yard and started to choke on new tears, so I swiftly shoved my hands in my pockets, turned away, and walked down the block to my car. That was the last time I had seen Bella.

A brief flight crew announcement that barely registered as more than a peripheral Charlie Brown teacher mumble distracted me, and then the cabin lights went dim. I shut my eyes and adjusted myself in the already reclined seat

As much as I regretted the fact that Bella and I never slept together, I still took great solace in knowing that we had done the right thing by each other. I hated the fact that someone else would have her. Someone else would have taken what I wanted. Someone else would be the one she chose to give herself to. I could make myself crazy thinking about that, so I learned a long time ago to just let it go.

I worried about her a lot in those first few months. There had always been great comfort in knowing that Bella still had our friends. I spent hours convincing myself that she was fine, better than fine, and that I was the only one struggling. At least she had Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice. At least they were still together. I didn't know until many years later how bad it had gotten between all of them after I left. I was so sure that I was leaving her in an insulated little bubble where she would be protected and loved by our friends.

We had tried to keep in touch but that had never been easy. The eight hour time difference had been the real killer. We weren't equipped to keep it together. Then sometime in college, we were both dating or in relationships, and the conversations just got difficult. Too much time passed between phone calls, life got in the way, and then it just became something we used to do.

Emmett was easy to keep in touch with. We were cousins, so even if we didn't speak, our mothers did. I was also always glad he had the latest news when we spoke. It was as if I'd managed to keep up with the last 10 years by proxy. I was always so grateful that he ended up with Bella and Alice. There was great comfort in knowing that he was around to protect them, to scare away some unworthy suitor, or to help them move heavy furniture.

I wonder how much Emmett had told Bella and Alice about our conversation. Surely they knew I was coming to the reunion, but did they know I was moving back? Thinking about how that had transpired was truly the perfect storm. I'd been lobbying hard with the powers that be that there was a need to have a West Coast office. They had always been interested in having an L.A. base, but the Pacific Northwest was a decidedly more difficult sell. I'd been able to spin it as a lower cost alternative, arguing that hard costs would be much more effective in Seattle. After years of pleading my case, they finally bought it, and I was packed and out the door in a matter of 6 weeks.

I had enjoyed my time in London in the early days. College was amazing, and my career really took off, but socially it had been one disaster after another. There was one relationship I had managed while I was in college, which I quickly outgrew, and then there was the insufferable year with Tanya that ended badly about 2 years ago. Other than that, it was a revolving door of prospects that were hopeful they could land the successful American financial advisor. I wasn't interested in being the guy they wanted me to be. No one was really interested in me. They seemed far more interested in what kind of status they'd earn being on my arm. About 4 years into my grown up life, I realized how cold and vacant I had become. I found there was very little about the life I built that was warm.

I laughed at myself. How daft had I been, thinking Seattle was going to be so much warmer, not to mention less damp, than London?

_Ridiculous rationale, Cullen, but at least it got your off your butt to make a change. _

Mom and Dad had left the UK just after I finished up my second year at Kingston University. Dad's job had run its course, and Mom was ready to go home. She missed her friends, her house and the quiet of Forks. Dad went back to a private practice, and Mom went back to her volunteer groups and the garden club. She never asked me to come home, but there were less than delicate hints over the years. The longer I stayed gone, the more deliberate the hints became. When I called and told them I was moving back, she cried.

When I called her and told her that all the gang was getting back together for the reunion, she screamed and then cried. She insisted that everyone stay at their house. It would be exactly as it should be.

My life had been a flurry of activities, deadlines and packing for 6 weeks. Anything I didn't want to bring back stateside, I donated to charities or sold. There were very few boxes on their way back to Seattle. I was sure I could count on Alice shopping with me to furnish my life again. Sitting on this flight was the first chance I'd had to relax since February. I was exhausted. I knew I'd have to sleep most of this flight if I was going to be functional once I got home. I'd definitely have to be well rested to keep up with Emmett and Alice, not to mention that I didn't want to look like walking death when I finally got to see Bella. With that, I let Jeff Buckley lull me to sleep.

I felt a gentle tug on my shoulder. I jerked out of a pretty deep sleep and glared at the culprit. I could see her lips moving but I couldn't hear her. My iPod had died sometime during my sleep but the ear buds were still jammed in my ears. I took the right one out so I could hear.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"We're starting our descent into Seattle, sir. I need you to bring your seat up and turn off your electronic device, please."

"Oh! Sure," I croaked, my voice was still thick with sleep. I stretched my arms above my head and extended my long legs as far as they would go, and then sat up and pushed the button that made my seat upright.

I was still about an hour and a half away from home once I landed in Seattle and took the short flight to Port Angeles. More importantly, in a little more than 6 hours, I would be with my long lost friends, standing face to face with my past. I slowly wound my iPod cord and put it back in my messenger bag.

_"Flight attendants, please prepare for landing." _

I lifted the shade on the window next to me and smiled at the miles and miles of green that lay before me. I could almost feel the humidity and taste the heavy sweetness of the air. I could hear the voices of my friends and family ready to welcome me home. I was ready for this next chapter of my life to start. I was closer to home than I'd been in 4 years and, most importantly, I was closer to Bella.

It had taken entirely too long to be able to grant her request, but now, I was finally on my way to fulfilling it, but not just for her. This new chapter was about me, too. I was coming back. Coming back to the life I wanted, to the warmth of love from family and friends, and coming back to the kind of man I wanted to be. I was also hopeful that I was coming back to Bella.

I had tried unsuccessfully for the last 10 years to let her go. I'm sure she had done the same, but what if she succeeded where I had failed? I decided that it didn't matter. I would take Bella any way she'd let me have her. I needed to believe that she would have me too.


	4. Interstate Love Song

CHAPTER 4: Interstate Love Song

**Author Notes: Judging by the comments you left for chapter 3, I should have given a tissue warning. I sure do love me some angst-filled, love-sick Edward though. Thanks again for all the lovely reviews!! It means a lot. **

**Be sure to check to bio page for this chapter's namesake – Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots. **

**Cheers to Tigress for being AWESOME!! **

_**Disclaimer: As always, everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **_

EMPOV

The clock on the dashboard said 6:27 when I pulled up to Alice's place. There she was, just like I thought she would be, standing on the steps of her building, with her arms crossed and her bags at her feet.

_She looks pissed. _

I double parked in the street, and got out to help her with her bags.

"Mornin', Sunshine!" I smiled my biggest, silliest grin at her hoping it would soften the tirade I knew was coming.

"You were supposed to be here at 10 after six. Eighteen minutes late, Emmett?"

"Seventeen," I argued. _Eh, she'll get over it. She always does. _

"Whatever." Alice waved her little hand in my general direction and snapped at her bags. She picked up a pillow she had stacked on her suitcases, and then she fished her phone out of pocket, flipped it open to push a button and put it to her ear.

"Yes, ma'am!" I bounded up the steps and took both of Alice's bags back to the jeep. I was surprised by the weight of those 2 pink, little suitcases, "Damn, Alice. We're only going for 3 days. Do you really need all this stuff?"

She gave me the stink eye and held up one finger to shush me. "Hey, Bella, Em's finally here. We're going to stop by to get coffee, and then, we're on our way to you."

I opened the tailgate of the jeep, and began packing away the little, pink suitcases. My suit was hanging on the clip above the window, wrapped in the bag from the dry cleaners. My crappy, little gym bag turned weekender and Alice's pepto pink suitcases sat side by side in the cargo area. Even our baggage was at odds, but I think that's why our friendship works the way it does. I make her crazy, and she makes me laugh, but I love her like crazy despite it all.

Alice continued her phone conversation. "No, Bella, don't worry about it. I'll get your coffee and all will be right with the world. Meet us out front in 10 minutes." She flipped her phone shut and shoved it back into her pocket. "Ready?"

"Yep!" I shut the tailgate and walked around to open the door for Alice. "Madam..."

"Tell me something Emmett, how is that you have all these manners, and yet, you can't muster the consideration to be on time ANY time we make plans? Didn't your Mama teach you that it was impolite to keep ladies waiting?" She flung her pillow into the back seat and then put on her seat belt.

"Don't blame my Mama, Alice." I made sure she was all tucked into the front seat and then shut the door. I walked around the front of my Jeep and then climbed in beside her. "I'm mostly on time for dates and when I'm trying to impress someone, but I figure I get a reprieve for that kind of stuff with you and Bella. Haven't I earned it for sticking around all these years?"

"I guess so," she conceded. "Just don't expect me to like it."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

I fired up the Jeep and the stereo blasted Radiohead's "Creep" at such a pitch, that Alice squealed and punched me in the arm screaming something about "permanent damage." I turned the volume knob and laughed, "I'm sorry! Was that too loud for you, hon, or were you just upset about my musical choices?"

"BOTH! It's 6:30 in the morning, Emmett! No one should be exposed to the grunge extravaganza so early and definitely not at that volume!" Alice poked her fingers in her ears and flexed her jaw open and closed a couple of times as if she was excising my music from her memory and her ringing ears. "Let's save the full blown experience for later this morning once we're further down the road, shall we?"

"You've got a deal there, missy! But I'm going to remember that you just gave permission for the full experience at some point, so no complaining when I bust out my grunge play list."

"Fine, I won't complain. Let's get coffee and get this show on the road," she chirped.

I drove down the block and turned the corner driving to the coffee shop between Alice's place and Bella's. I found parking right up front and pulled right in.

"Be right back," she sang.

I didn't even pretend that I was going with her. Alice and Bella had gotten annoyed with me several years ago when I tried to speak all that coffee coded barista speak at the coffee houses. I never got what I wanted when I ordered, so I just let them do it for me. It was easier this way.

I picked up my iPod and clicked through the wheel until I found a play list that I thought the girls would approve of. Surely they could deal with a little Muse. I clicked the play button and leaned my head back on the headrest.

I was really looking forward to the reunion. I hadn't seen Edward since he came home for a big family Christmas a few years ago. I wondered if maybe Jasper and Rosalie would be there. I laughed at the thought of the six of us back in our high school days. We thought we were the cool kids. Maybe we were.

Rosalie and I were the "it" couple in high school. She was crazy and beautiful and I was completely in love with her. Everything about us was larger than life. We loved big, we laughed big, and we fought big, which, in the end, was our undoing. She was so cool though. Nothing ever seemed to embarrass her, and she never cared how loud or obnoxious I was. Sure would be great to see her.

The thought of seeing Rosalie made my stomach knot up, which kind of surprised me. I rubbed my belly to try to calm it.

I thought about Bella for a minute. I can't imagine how she must feel knowing that she was going to come face to face with _her_ first love. She has to be flipping out. If I thought for one second that I might actually have to face Rosalie Hale at this reunion, I'd probably puke. I'd puke, and then I'd cover it up with some macho bullshit excuse that I'd worked out my legs too hard at the gym or something.

I picked my head up and stared out my window still daydreaming about Rosalie, and then suddenly saw something flash out of the corner of my eye to the right. It made me jump in my seat a little, "Oh Shit!"

Alice was standing on the curb next to the passenger window with her hands full of coffee and pastries, laughing at me. After I caught my breath from being startled, I reached over and opened the door for her.

"Dammit, Alice!"

"You're such a fraidy cat, Em," she giggled.

"No, I'm not. You're just such a sneaky little pixie - that well – you – crap – I'm not a fraidy cat, Alice. You just surprised me, that's all." I took the bag full of pastries from her and put it in my lap. She shut the door and handed me my coffee.

"Mm hmm."

"Not another word, Alice Brandon. I have an iPod full of music you despise, and I'm not afraid to use it!" I held up the iPod as if to make good on my threat.

"OK, OK. Put down the iPod. You're not a fraidy cat," Alice chided. "Let's go. Bella's waiting."

I put down the iPod and moved the bag of pastries to the center console between my coffee and Alice's. I pulled away from the curb and made my way down the near empty streets of our Seattle neighborhood. We pulled up to Bella's block, and there she was waiting on the corner, just like Alice had ordered.

Alice rolled down the window and teased, "Bella Swan, you better have packed every last bit of that new underwear we bought!"

"Alice!" I said through grit teeth. Even in the pre-dawn light I could see that Bella was blushing. I threw the car in park and jumped out to help her with her bags.

"Thanks for that, Alice," Bella complained. She stood there under the streetlamp looking less than ready for this trip, in more ways than one.

I bounded up to Bella and kissed her on the cheek and then wrapped her in one of my famous bear hugs. "This is going to be a great weekend, Hells Bells," I assured her. "Don't over think it, just enjoy it."

"Thanks, Em," she said as she surrendered the garment bag that was folded over her forearm to me. I went to the passenger side back door and opened it for her. She climbed in with her pillow tucked her arm and settled in. I picked up her bag and went to the tailgate again to load up. As I was packing away Bella's stuff, I heard her fussing at Alice for the underwear comment.

"You roll up in my neighborhood and start yelling about underwear, Alice?" She was clearly agitated, "Who does that?"

"Aw, Bella, don't be mad at me. I was just trying to make Emmett laugh."

I yelled from the back of the jeep, "Don't you dare bring me into this girly stuff. I don't want to know ANYTHING about Bella's underwear!" The girls cracked up and I slammed the tailgate shut. I walked around side of the car and hopped in. "Matter of fact, let's not talk about Bella's underwear, or anyone else's underwear for the duration of this trip."

"Deal!" Both girls said in unison, and then we all laughed.

"So what's with the pillows?" I was genuinely curious. The girls stopped their giggling briefly and looked at each other and then me and started cackling. "Never mind. I don't wanna know."

Alice handed Bella her coffee and we headed out to meet the Interstate.

I spent the better part of the next hour listening to Alice quiz Bella about what things she had packed or didn't pack. Then they started talking about all the girls we'd graduated with. If I hadn't spent so much time with these two I would have been shocked at the gossip they were capable of spewing. I had gotten quite good at tuning them out when they spoke exclusive "girl" like this. I dug into the pastries and drank my coffee. There wasn't any traffic once we got out of Seattle so we were making good time.

BPOV

I sat directly behind Alice listening to her prattle on about what she was wearing tonight, and what she thought I should wear. I looked in the rearview mirror at Emmett's calm eyes. He was so checked out on the conversation. I envied him sometimes.

Alice pulled her blackberry out of her bag and started pecking on the keys, "I've got the itinerary from the reunion committee here if you guys want to know the agenda."

"Lemme have it, Al," Emmett said enthusiastically.

"So, tonight we have the mixer at The Lodge at 7:30, and then, there is some family day picnic on Saturday that we are NOT going to attend, and finally, the actual reunion at the View Point Inn on Saturday night at 8:00." Alice poked a few more keys and continued, "Carlisle and Esme have invited all of us over for a BBQ and the Mariner's game on Sunday and then we drive home on Monday."

"What exactly is a mixer?" Emmett asked.

"You know, open bar and hors d'oeuvres and probably some really bad DJ," I complained.

"Bella, don't you dare jinx this by that negative attitude of yours," Alice warned.

"I don't have a negative attitude, Alice, I'm just stating the obvious," I was defending myself now. "What kind of spectacular event are you expecting? It's at The Lodge for Christ's sake. Do you think they took the mounted Elk and Mountain Lion down for the occasion, or did Jessica Stanley just string crepe paper through the antlers?"

"Sa-weet!" Emmett sang out through his laughter. "That's hilarious!! You know those old Elk's lodge dudes will lose it if they see crepe paper on their prize mounts!"

"You're probably right, Bella," Alice conceded. "But please, please, please, for me, try to let go of some of the cynicism this weekend, OK? Just enjoy it."

"What's not to enjoy?" I was the rolling silver 'B' pendant hanging from my necklace between my index finger and my thumb. The landmarks that were flying by the windows of the jeep were becoming more familiar. I knew how close we were to Forks. I started feeling a little anxiety.

"Exactly! Now back to the agenda," Alice had obviously planned every minute of our trip. "Emmett, you're dropping us off at Charlie's, and then you're going on to the Cullen's, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Alice wasn't finished giving instructions. "Then, you'll come pick me and Bella up for the mixer at 7:30."

"Got it," Emmett confirmed. "Anything else, boss?"

Emmett always handled Alice and her bossy nature so well. I scooted over near the middle of the seat, leaned against the back of the driver's seat and wrapped my arms around Emmett's neck and shoulders. He took one hand off the steering wheel and patted my hand.

Alice stabbed at her blackberry again and chirped, "That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted if anything changes."

"You OK, Bella?" Emmett's question stopped Alice mid-sentence.

"I'm good, Em." I nestled my head on his big shoulder. Emmett and Alice had always been my touchstones. I was so glad we were making this trip together. Alice reached over and tucked a stray strand of hair over my ear and patted my shoulder.

"Of course, you're good, Bella," Alice reassured me. "No reason not to be."

"I promise. I really am good,. I'm just a little nervous."

"A little? This death grip around my neck says different, Bella," Emmett teased.

"Traitor!" I giggled and smacked him on his chest, and moved back into my place in the back seat.

"I may be an ass, but I am no traitor, Bella Swan. Who's ready for some tunes?"

"Whatever you want, Em, it's your jeep."

Alice tried to warn me. "Oh Bella, I wouldn't do – "

"Ladies, prepare yourselves for the best music of our generation pumped through 1200 watts of serious power," Emmett interrupted Alice and picked up the iPod,

I never minded Emmett's music; it was the singing that was so unbearable. If he turned up the volume loud enough, I might be able to endure. The fact that I offered up free choice to Emmett was really annoying Alice. .

"Please, Emmett! Not yet!" Alice was almost panicked. She whipped her head around in her seat and glared at me. Her jaw was clenched and she was cursing me through gritted teeth, "This experience is inevitable, but if you prematurely subject me to this, I _will_ get you back."

I knew she meant that, but she didn't scare me. I'd probably pay for this bravery later, but I didn't care. I was already in a car, being driven to my dreary home town and the humiliation of a 10 year reunion. And, oh yeah, the love of my life who abandoned me and whom I hadn't seen since the day he left was going to be there too. How much more stressful could Alice's threat make my life? I gave her my best toothy grin and encouraged Emmett, "how about some Stone Temple Pilots?"

Alice crossed her arms and puffed out her bottom lip.

"You promised I could have my music, Alice," Emmett reminded her.

"Fine, but lets start out slowly, OK?" she conceded.

I tossed Alice her pillow from the back seat.

"Thanks for nothing, Bella," Alice growled.

I giggled as I fluffed up my pillow at the other end of the backseat and lay down with my knees drawn up.

"Awesome!" Emmett was giddy.

"Why in the world did you start this, Bella? Alice fumed in the front seat, as she too started to fluff her pillow.

Stone Temple Pilots began to pipe through the jeep. Emmett rolled down the windows a little and sang along quietly for the time being. I reached up for my pendant and once again flipped the silver between my fingers.

I could see Alice clearly from my new vantage point stretched out in the back seat, and I could see she was moving her lips. It took me a while to figure out she was singing along too! I joined in and we all happily sang along as we barreled down the 101 on our way to Forks.

The last half hour of the trip was the Emmett show. Alice was clearly agitated, as she brought her pillow up to her face and then collapsed forward into her lap. I probably found too much enjoyment in it, but what wasn't to love? He was so happy. He had everything a boy could want; a cool jeep, speeding down the highway with open windows, his 2 favorite girls in the whole world and, now, Pearl Jam.

We blew past the "Welcome to Forks," sign and headed straight to Charlie's. Once Emmett turned onto the street, he turned down the volume and slowed down to a normal speed.

Alice sat up and looked at Emmett and then over her shoulder at me. We all burst out laughing. Alice's hair was a total mess, her sunglasses were crooked and she had sheet creases on her cheek from squeezing her pillow around her face to her ears. "Thank God that's over," she sighed.

Emmett pulled up into Charlie's empty driveway. We all started gathering up our stuff and piled out of the jeep. I was juggling my travel bag, my purse and my pillow, but then went back to the tailgate to help Emmett with the bags. Alice marched straight to the front door and waited.

Emmett rolled his eyes in her general direction as he unpacked our bags. I laughed, "you know, if she could reach that key Charlie keeps hidden under the eaves, she would already be inside."

"Don't I know it," Emmett chuckled. He quickly took all the bags out and closed the tailgate.

I pulled up the handle on my suitcase and started to walk away when Emmett stopped me.

"I'm proud of you, Bella."

"Em…"

"What? I mean it. I can only imagine how you're feeling right now, and I just want you to know that I think you're doing great," he encouraged. "He's just a guy, Bella, and he's probably as worked up about seeing you as you are about him."

"You think so?"

"I know so, Bella," he winked at me and wrapped me in a hug.


	5. Gotta Get Back

CHAPTER 5: Gotta Get Back

**A/N: Thanks again for all the great comments! It's so nice to know that you're all enjoying the story and that you're invested in MY version of the Edward and Bella alternate universe. I promise the wait is almost over…or is it?**

**Be sure to check to bio page for this chapter's namesake – Gotta Get Back, by Shelby Lynne. It's a great song; you should definitely check it out. **

**Tigress is my beta-hero. **

_**Disclaimer: As always, everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **_

JPOV

As far as Rosalie was concerned, we were going back to Forks for our grandmother's surprise 75th birthday party. The rouse was simple enough, but keeping up the charade was next to impossible. I was so afraid I was going to let something slip. We were on the second leg of the trip, the flight from Seattle to Port Angeles, and I was just ready for this to be over. I didn't want to have to manage any more lies, or keep anymore secrets. I just wanted to get back to my sweet Alice.

"Jasper, are you listening to me?" Rosalie quipped.

"No, sorry, I wasn't," at least I didn't have to lie about that. "What did you say?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes and asked the question again, "What time is Gran expecting us?"

Jasper sighed, "Rosalie, I've told you at least 10 times. Gran isn't expecting us. It's a SURPRISE party. She doesn't know we're coming."

"I'm not stupid, Jasper. I know it's a surprise party. I just keep hoping that the next time I ask you that, you've thought of another solution, and that you're not truly serious about making me go to the _Dew Drop Inn_." she fumed sneering the name of the Inn. "Do you really think the surprise is worth it if by the time we get there, I'm so pissed off about the fucking Dew Drop Inn that I scare poor, old Gran?"

"Oh please, Roaslie. Don't you dare pretend like you wouldn't be caught dead there," I had her now. "I seem to remember an occasion or two when you were a willing and frequent guest at the Dew Drop Inn." The Dew Drop had been Emmett's solution to privacy, and I knew how often he took her there when we were younger.

"THOSE instances, my dear brother, were emergencies, and I never stayed there for more than a few hours," she rebutted.

I chuckled. "Emergencies?"

"Yes, emergencies," Rosalie explained. "Emmett was so damn cute and so horny all the time; I don't know what else you'd call it, other than an emergency," she said with a waive of her hand and a roll of her eyes.

"Rosalie,… please." my stomach flipped a little bit hearing about my sister and her heated teenage sex life. "I really don't want to hear anymore."

"You brought it up. I was simply clarifying," she said smugly.

"Well, at least you won't be breaking any old habits or making any new records on this visit, because you'll only be there for a few hours this time as well."

"Not funny, Jasper," she seethed.

"I think it's very funny, Rosalie." I said smugly. "Look, please don't give me anymore grief about this whole thing. It's only for a few hours, and just think how happy we're going to make Gran when we surprise her at the party."

I was such a terrible liar. I knew that if I let the conversation continue, or if I had to defend that stupid hotel one more time, I would seriously screw the whole thing up. It was such a short flight, though, that there really wasn't much I could distract myself with, so I flipped through the SkyMall catalog. I thought of Alice. I wondered what she thought of the SkyMall catalog. It seems like such a perfect shopping experience to me, no crowds, and no pushy sales people or fitting rooms. All the things that I was sure Alice loved MOST about shopping. _She must loathe the SkyMall concept._ Thinking of her made me smile.

"What are you grinning about?" Rosalie said, bursting my little Alice love bubble.

"The Dew Drop Inn," I smirked. I was getting better at this lying thing.

Rosalie elbowed me in the ribs, "Still not funny, Jasper." She turned to look out the window and then let out one low giggle that I knew wasn't meant for my ears. I could only guess that she was thinking about Emmett.

_Alice is a beautiful, wicked, genius, and I can't wait to see how this all plays out tonight. This crazy plan might actually work. _

The flight attendant made a quick announcement that we were starting our descent into Port Angeles. I noticed that a guy near the front of the plane got up out of his seat and was fishing around in a bag in the overhead compartment. I don't know that I would have necessarily paid attention, except that his hair was such a unique color. It was copper, just like a penny.

_God must really hate me. _

EPOV

The flight from Seattle to Port Angeles had been as painless as I always remembered it being. My eyes were dry from all the flying, so I had to get up and get my eye drops out of my bag in the overhead bin. I sat back down and buckled my seat belt and waited to land. It was a small plane, one seat on one side of the aisle and two seats on the other. I was glad I'd gotten a single seat. I must have looked out of that tiny little window 20 times trying to will this little plane to go faster. I was ready to be home.

As soon as the plane slowed to a stop, I was free of my seat belt and hopped up into the aisle, retrieving my bag from the overhead and heading for the door. I was so thankful that I was in 1A, and I didn't have to wait to get off.

When the plane door opened, a wave of humidity washed over me, which made me smile. I was home. I ducked through the door of the plane, down the steps and straight to the luggage carts waiting on the tarmac. _Ah the joys of regional airports…no baggage claim_. I found my bag easily and headed through the doors of the airport, quickly making my way to the passenger pick up area, where I knew Emmett would be waiting for me.

JPOV

My entire body seized. I quickly cut my eyes to Rosalie. To my relief, she was still staring out the window. I can't believe Edward Cullen is on the same frickin' plane!! What the hell?

Even if Rosalie didn't see _him_, she always drew so much attention to herself that there was no way he wouldn't notice _her_ once we got inside the terminal.

_I'm so COMPLETELY screwed. _

It looked like he was pretty close to the front, so maybe I could fumble with my phone or my bags a little to buy some time. Great. I was going to purposefully piss Rosalie off. This had to be the dumbest luck ever. I needed to tell Alice. _I just want to get home to Alice._

Once we were stopped on the tarmac and we were cleared to use electronics again, I pulled out my phone and texted the distress call. There wasn't anything she could do, but I had to at least give her the heads up that this whole thing could blow up within a matter of minutes.

Then just as I suspected, Rosalie blew, "Dammit Jasper, do you have to do that NOW? Everyone is getting off the plane!"

"Just let me finish this really quick, and then we can go."

Rosalie turned in her seat and rested her right elbow in the seat in front of her and clicked her fingernails impatiently on the arm rest between us. Her eyes were drawn into a dangerous squint.

"Almost done," I was trying to buy enough time so that all the passengers behind us moved into the aisle before us.

As soon as I snapped my phone shut, she shoved me back against the seat and climbed effortlessly over me to the aisle. She stood up, smoothed out her clothes and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Everyone was backed up the aisle in front of her, so she was going no where fast. She turned around and glared at me, waiting. I got our bags from the overhead bin and moved up behind her. I carried both bags, as I didn't want to agitate her anymore by assuming she would carry her own bag.

My only hope at this point was that Edward had found his bag quickly and that he was as anxious to get to Forks as we were. I prayed to all things holy that whomever was picking him up was on time and that Rosalie could be counted on to make her usual post flight stop in the ladies room. We got our bags and went through the airport doors.

"I'm going to make a quick stop at the ladies," she said. "Watch my bag."

_Yes!_

Rosalie and I trudged our way through the tiny little airport. The theme for _Mission Impossible_ was running through my head, as I walked slightly in front of her in case I had to run some kind of diversion. My eyes were darting back and forth looking for any signs of trouble. I rounded the corner near the rental car counters, and it was then that I knew I was impossibly screwed. I wasn't just dealing with Edward, but now Emmett was there too! I panicked and turned quickly on my heels, crashing smack into Rosalie. We hit so hard, that she fell back on her butt, feet up in the air, and I stumbled over my own suitcase landing on the marble floor beside her.

"You IDIOT!" Rosalie screeched.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know you were that close! I was just –"

"Ugh! Why are you so annoying today?" Rosalie was exasperated with me. "Never mind. Just help me up and let's get the hell out of here."

I helped Rosalie to her feet and peaked around the corner, while I was gathering up our luggage that was strewn all around us. Emmett was dragging along a suitcase behind him, and Edward was patting him on the back as they walked out the door.

_Crisis averted. _

My phone chimed in my pocket. I flipped it open and saw it was a text from Alice. I couldn't help but smile.

EPOV

I felt like a giant weight was finally lifted off my shoulders as I made my way through the tiny, little Port Angeles airport. I was now counting the minutes, not hours until I was home.

Emmett was leaning against a column near the exit door. He was fiddling with his cell phone, so he never saw me coming. I walked straight up to him, dropped my bags on the floor beside me, and held my arms out, "Hey, Cuz!"

"Edward Cullen!" Emmett bellowed and then gave me a quick hug and slapped me on the back. "How ya doin', man? Welcome home!"

"Thanks! I'm really glad to be home."

"How was your flight," he asked.

"Long," was all I could offer. I was wiped out. I just wanted to get home, eat, and relax a little before tonight.

"I bet, man," Emmett mused. "I can't sit still for 15 minutes, much less the 15 hours you've traveled today."

"I'm used to it."

"Esme wanted me to give you this," Emmett handed me a small silver phone. "She said for you to call her as soon as we were on our way to the house and that she'd have lunch waiting for us when we got there."

"But I already have a phone, why – "

"Something about not wanting you to have to pay International Roaming charges with your phone, so she hooked you up," Emmett explained.

I laughed at how efficient and practical my Mother is, "Of course she did." I did as Emmett had instructed and called home to say we were leaving the airport. I laughed as I listened to my mom squeal and coo over the phone. She was clearly excited that I was home. I told her I loved her and hung up. I was really looking forward to being home for a few days. I started to pick up my bags when I heard some poor guy getting berated, rather publicly I might add.

"You IDIOT!" a woman's voice echoed across the marble floor and through the terminal. Emmett and I turned towards the commotion only to see suitcases and legs flying all over the place.

"Poor bastard," Emmett said craning his neck to look around me, sympathizing with the poor guy who was getting cursed out. He took the handle of my suit case and turned towards the door. "That's why I'm single, my friend because women are just plain nuts. If I had a chick like that…"

"Yeah, yeah, Em, I know exactly what you'd do with a chick like that," I patted him on the back and lead him out the door. "Let's get out of here. How was the drive up from Seattle?"

I wasn't sure what Emmett was driving these days, but I had to assume it was the monster size 4-door jeep parked along the curb. He walked straight to the tailgate to pack up my bags. "It was good. I had to listen to a whole lot of girl crap, but it was still fun."

"What kind of girl crap?"

Emmett loaded my bags and then slammed the tailgate shut. "You know typical girl stuff about clothes, shoes, nail polish and that kind of stuff. I've acquired a skill that allows me to block them out when they do that."

I missed that kind of chatter, "It couldn't have been that bad, Em." I walked around the passenger side and opened the back door. I took off my jacket and threw it across the back seat, along with my messenger bag.

"The first hour was sheer hell, man," he admitted as he climbed into the driver's seat. "But then Bella crossed over to the dark side and let me play my music, and then, it was awesome!"

I got in the jeep and buckled my seat belt, "I bet it was." I chuckled knowing what kind of victory that must have been for him and imagining how pissed Alice must have been. "So, uhmm...how's….er…"

"You can't even say her name, dude. That's bad," he teased, as he pulled away from the curb and started the drive home to Forks.

"Don't be ridiculous! I can say her name. How's BELLA, Emmett?" I over enunciated the pronunciation of her name.

"She's fine. She's nervous, but seems to be handling it all pretty well," he said. "She let Alice subject her to 3 solid days of shopping and silly girl stuff, without a single complaint earlier this week, which had me a little worried, but she came out the other side just fine. And like I said, she was awesome on the road trip today."

"That's good to hear," I couldn't admit to Emmett that I wanted to hear more.

"Bella is always awesome though," Emmett continued.

I put my hand under my scruffy chin, rubbed along my jaw and whispered, "Yes, she is."

"You know, I watch out for those girls, and I kind of feel like I have to tell you to be careful with her," he warned. "I feel like I still have to protect her, even though it's you."

"I know you do, Em, and I'm glad you've watched out for her all these years. But you know you don't have to protect her from me. I'm never going do anything to ever hurt her again," I meant that with every fiber of my being. "I'm going to do anything she wants me to do to see if we can make this work."

"Good! She deserves it, man. And so do you," he said.

"Thanks, Em," it was nice to hear I had his seal of approval. "Did you tell them I was moving back?"

"No, I didn't. I was afraid if I gave them too much information Alice would obsess about it, and Bella would crack," Emmett said. "Besides, the way I see it, that's your news to tell, not mine."

"Good call," I agreed with his logic. "I'll find the right time to tell them."

We didn't talk about Bella for the rest of the drive to Forks, but we did talk about everything else. His job, my job, the move, apartment brokers, the Mariner's, you name it, we talked about it as much as the time would allow.

He gave me the low down on the reunion and passed along all of Alice's instructions. Apparently, I had a welcome packet waiting for me at Mom and Dad's house that she mailed ahead of my arrival with a full itinerary. _Typical Alice._

Emmett kept on chattering as he turned onto my parent's private road. It wouldn't be long before I could see the big white house of my childhood.

I really missed this. There was a palpable energy being here with Emmett. It's as if I could feel Alice, Bella, Jasper and Rosalie all in this jeep with us. I was completely at ease.

Emmett pulled up to the house and angled the jeep under one of the large shade trees. He was still talking as he walked around the back to unload my bags. I got out of car and sucked in a big breath and stretched. I opened the back passenger door and reached across the seat for my jacket and messenger bag. I flung my jacket over my forearm, when something suddenly flashed across my line of sight.

I picked up my jacket and turned it around in my left hand and saw that there was something silvery caught in the fabric. I picked at the fabric near the lapel and pulled away a tiny little silver chain with a 'B' pendant hanging from it. I flipped my hand over and let the pendant rest in the palm of my hand.

Emmett rounded the back of the jeep and found me holding the little, silver necklace in my hand.

"What ya got there?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know. I just found it when I was getting my jacket and my bag," I answered.

Emmett looked at the pendant resting in my hand and quipped, "Oh! That's Bella's. It must have fallen off sometime during the drive this morning."

"You're sure it's Bella's?" I asked. "It's not some random girlfriends that lost it along with her dignity in the back of this Jeep?" I folded my fingers up around the pendant and put the necklace in my pocket.

"No way, dude. I don't date girls with 'B' names anymore," he explained. "It's kind of a rule now."

"Wait, you what?!" I couldn't have heard right. "Did you say you don't date girls whose name starts with a 'B'?" I stared at him like he had a third eye.

"Yeah, man. I gave 'em up." Emmett was dead serious.

"I'm afraid to ask, but I have to know. Why?" I started walking towards the house.

"Because there are too many of them, I kept getting confused," he explained. "Brianna's, Breanne's and Britney's alone make up a huge percentage of the dating pool, right now. Did you know that?"

I could barely make it up the steps to the porch because I was laughing so hard, "No, Emmett, I didn't know – " I said shaking my head in amusement.

"Don't laugh! It completely sucks, but I couldn't ever keep it straight who I was supposed to pick up for dates," he was clearly getting frustrated just explaining it to me now. "Was it hot, redhead Britney or cool, roller derby Britney with all the tattoos? It was too much. I cracked under the pressure."

"I can see that," I offered as I opened the door and stepped across the threshold. "I'm home!"


	6. Stop and Stare

CHAPTER 5: Gotta Get Back

**A/N: So all the gang is back in Forks and I'm happy to confirm that there is no more stringing you along for the big reveal. I hope all the anticipation was worth it! I'm still going to tease you mercilessly as this story unravels, but eh, isn't that the fun part?? Thanks again for your comments and reviews! You have no idea what it means. **

_**Stop and Stare**_**, by One Republic is the song for this chapter. This band is in heavy rotation on my iPod, so I couldn't' very well create a soundtrack and leave them out. **

**Big hugs for Tigress!! ((**_**stupid computers))**_

BPOV

Alice and I were still running around getting ready when we heard Emmett's Jeep pull up. I yelled down to Charlie. "Dad! Emmett's here! Can you entertain him?"

"Sure thing, Bells!" Charlie yelled back.

"We'll be down in 5 minutes!"

I sat on the edge of my bed to put on my new high heeled, black patent leather Mary Janes. Alice was standing in front of me in her in her little, skinny jeans, hot pink pumps and a strapless bra, yanking rollers out of my hair. She ran her fingers through my hair, but refused to let me brush it.

"NO! We're going for big, sexy hair. No brushing. Just bend over and shake it out," Alice ordered.

"OK, OK!" I did as she said and bent over. I knew by the time we got to The Lodge, it would have fallen enough in the humidity, so I didn't argue.

Most of the evening had been a full tilt make over assault, and, if my hair was the only battle I'd lost, then I think I fared pretty well. I didn't have on too much make up, or a ridiculous outfit that I'd never wear again, and even though the shoes were dangerously high, considering how clumsy I could be, I still felt like me.

I got up and went to the mirror to check the final result. I smoothed out the stray hairs, and broke up some of the bigger curls with my fingers. My hair was a lot bigger than I would normally wear it, but I was willing to let that slide. Alice had picked out and forcibly made me buy every stitch of clothing I had on, and I actually loved it. I brushed my fingers over the cap sleeves and the square neckline of the while eyelet dress. I moved my hand over the fabric of the dress on my stomach, then over my hips, and I swiveled to check out my backside. I was glad to be wearing the black leggings underneath, because I would have felt too exposed if I was bare legged and in a dress that short.

"You look so great, Bella." Alice had finished getting dressed and was now standing behind me in the mirror.

"Thanks!" I turned to look at her. "Oh, Alice, look at you!!"

Alice had on the most amazing navy and pink, silk halter top with a super high neck and a pretty bow that tied at the side of her neck.

"I know, right!" she mused as she admired herself in the mirror behind me. "Let's go."

Alice grabbed my hand, snapped up both of our handbags off the foot of my bed and pulled me through the door. I flipped off the light and staggered down the hall behind her.

Emmett was sitting in front of the TV with Charlie watching ESPN.

Charlie whistled and stood up from his chair when we hit the bottom of the stairs.

"Damn! You guys look hot!" Emmett gushed.

"Of course we do!" Alice sang out. "Charlie, don't wait up, we're going to keep Bella out after curfew, if that's OK?"

"Okay by me, Alice." Charlie moved over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed me on top of my head. "I think you guys will find a whole lot less trouble at 28 than you did when you were 18."

"Don't count on it, Charlie," Alice winked at my dad. She had her little, pink suitcases waiting at the door. "Emmett, can you put my bags in the car for me?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Emmett obeyed Alice's orders. He shook Charlie's hand, said his "good night" and headed for the Jeep with bags in hand.

I had forgotten until that very second that Alice was staying at the Cullen's this weekend. I had successfully avoided any anxiety and any obsessive thinking for most of the day, but those little, pink bags by the door had snapped me back to my reality. Edward was home. I was minutes away from either the greatest moment of my entire life, or the most awkward.

I decided it was going to be the greatest. Alice grabbed my hand and danced out the door pulling me behind her.

"You look really pretty, Bells," Charlie called after me. "Have a good time, OK?"

"I will, Dad. Don't wait up."

EPOV

I followed Alice's itinerary and arrived at The Lodge at 7:30 and went straight to the bar. The tequila shot that Emmett had made me take before we left the house to help me relax had helped, but I still could use a beer.

"Edward Cullen?"

I turned slowly to find Jessica Stanley standing bug eyed next to me with her mouth slacked open.

"Oh. My. God. It _is_ you!" she squealed. "What are you doing here?"

"It is a reunion, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, but you're the last person I thought would show up!" she exclaimed. I raised my beer, acknowledging her surprise.

She giggled uncontrollably, and then grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me towards a small group of people. Most of them I almost recognized, but it took a while to gain full recall. I stood there with my former classmates, drinking my beer, trying to keep up with the conversation. I found it only slightly irritating standing there talking to people I barely remembered, but I was glad for the distraction. I purposefully positioned myself in the group with my back towards the front door, so I would stop compulsively checking to see if she was here.

The room started to fill up, and I became less self conscious about the door. I was surrounded by familiar strangers who were all very friendly and curious about me. Every 5 minutes or so, I heard these little mini explosions in the room as old friends were reunited. There were lots of squeals and pockets of laughter. Whether it was Emmett's tequila, the beer, or maybe it was that I realized I wasn't the only one having this experience tonight, I was beginning to feel more at ease.

Glancing around the room, I saw Mike Newton and the surge of recognition on his face when he noticed me. He waved above the nearly crowded room and then made a bee line in my direction. He still seemed so eager and annoying, but harmless enough. I glanced over my shoulder at the door, again.

BPOV

Emmett found a parking spot in the nearly full parking lot at The Lodge. The short ride from Charlie's house had been made in relative silence. Alice pecked on her blackberry, and Emmett just hummed along to the music, while I sat in the backseat talking myself down off the ledge. I reached up to twist my pendant, and was surprised to find it gone. I slapped my chest, felt around my neck, and looked down the front of my eyelet dress and even on the floorboard in front of me. It was gone and with it my security blanket.

"Are we ready?" Emmett asked.

"Absolutely," Alice sang out.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I chimed in.

Emmett clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Let's roll!"

I got out of the Jeep, and straightened my little dress, smoothed out my still fairly big hair, looked straight ahead at the double doors that stood about 50 yards directly in front of me, and sighed. Alice took my left hand while Emmett took my right and wrapped it in the crook of his arm. and we headed for the door. I was so nervous. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. _At least if I pass out, Emmett would catch me. _

Emmett reached up, took my hand, and stepped up to open the door for us. Alice danced through the doors in front of us and Emmett escorted me in.

Alice stopped in the lobby and turned to me, "Ready?"

"I am," I practically whispered.

"You look amazing," she said enthusiastically as she fluffed up my already too big hair and then pushed it behind my shoulders.

"You do, Hells Bells," Emmett lifted the back of my hand to his lips and kissed it.

Alice turned on her heels and practically skipped through the entry way and into the party. I was glad she had gone first and glad that I had Emmett by my side holding me up. I reached across my body with my left hand and gripped at Emmett's arm. He squeezed my hand gently.

Alice flitted off ahead of us and stopped just a few feet into the room, surveying the crowd. She turned to face us with a look of pure joy. "Can you believe this?" she exclaimed. "Look at all these people!"

"I don't recognize anyone," Emmett leaned over to me and muttered.

"Give it a minute, and it'll all come back to you." I encouraged him, "Even if you don't remember them, they're surely going to remember you."

"Who wouldn't remember me?" he joked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Em," I giggled as I released his arm. "Let the games begin."

Eric Yorkie was coming straight at us with a huge grin on his face and his arms opened wide. "Bella Swan!! You're still hanging out with this loser?" he quipped as he pulled me into a big hug.

"Some things never change," I replied.

"Yorkie?!" Emmett bellowed. "Eric Yorkie!! Holy shit, man. How are you? I haven't seen you in what - "

"Uh, 10 years," Eric said with a hearty laugh and that half hug, half hand shake thing that guys do.

Alice moved over next to me and pulled me to her voice, "That bitch Lauren is here, and oh my God, would you please look at her gigantic, fake boobs!"

I laughed out lout and nervously looked around the crowd for Lauren. I hadn't given much thought to the fun that this weekend was going to bring. Five minutes into the reunion weekend and it was already way more fun than I had ever expected. I spotted Lauren nestled in the corner to our right, trying desperately to keep Tyler Crowley's attention. I quickly turned back to Alice, with my eyes wide and a giggle on my lips. "Let's get a beer, before we get ourselves in trouble."

"I love trouble," Alice threatened as she pulled me towards the bar.

"I know you do, just not yet," I laughed, and then I pleaded. "It's too early for trouble."

Alice danced up to the bar and ordered our drinks, turning to chat with the people next to her. I stood next to her with a new confidence that allowed me to fully scan the room for the first time since we'd arrived.

EPOV

Mike Newton carried on next to me, and although I tried to engage in the conversation, I was completely distracted by the time and that damn door. Newton said something moderately amusing, and I faked an appropriate laugh and glanced over my shoulder towards the door again, expecting the same disappointment and had just started to turn back, when my heart lurched up into my throat. I turned reflexively back to the front of the room and there she was. _Bella._

My gaze drifted past the crowd and locked on her. She was standing with Alice laughing. I heard the tenor of her laugh above the hum of the conversations around the party, and couldn't help but smile. There was a tangible shift in energy with her in the room, and I needed to be near her. I needed to touch her.

She was stunning. I waited in anticipation as she glanced around the room. Her finding me was inevitable. In the instant that our eyes met, I felt a fire spark in my chest, and I smiled at her. At first, she looked startled, maybe even shocked, and then my favorite smile spread across her face. I sat my empty beer bottle down on a table next to me, patted Mike on the shoulder as I moved away from him, and made my way through the crowd to Bella.

BPOV

I was amazed by how many faces I recognized. Before tonight, I don't think I could have named more than a dozen people I had gone to school with, and yet as I looked around the room, I had total recall. There was an odd sense of clarity and comfort being here. Then just past the innocuous faces, I found the one perfect face that I'd been so anxious to see tonight, staring right at me. His eyes burned through to my soul and made my knees weak. I gripped the edge of the bar; clinging to every ounce of strength I could conjure up. It was as if every other human being in the room faded away and all I could see, all I could focus on was Edward.

My memory of him had not done him justice. In my mind, he was still that 17 year old boy; the 27 year old man who stood across the room was more beautiful than I could have ever prepared myself for him to be. I was stunned, and I'm sure my face gave me away.

He smiled that familiar, perfect, crooked smile that I had convinced myself so many years ago was meant just for me. This time, I knew it was. The love bubbles in my stomach tickled me from the inside out. I smiled so big that I'm sure it was far from the sexy I wanted it to be, hoping that it wouldn't take him long to walk the distance between us. I stood frozen, with that ridiculous smile on my face, unable to move or breathe. I vaguely heard Alice ask me something, but I couldn't turn away from Edward to acknowledge her.

He kept moving towards me, until he was standing right in front of me. His green eyes were so clear and warm, his skin was flawless, his jaw, his lips, his hair, his nose…all so perfect. "Long time, no see," I said, barely above a whisper.

"That's the understatement of the decade," he chuckled. "Sorry it's taken so long to get back."

I bit my lip and fought the emotion that was brewing just below the surface, "its okay. At least you finally made it." I couldn't believe he was actually here.

"Is there a statute of limitations on keeping a promise?" He raised his eyebrow and smirked.

"I think there should be," I was so caught up in the sight of him, that I was having a hard time finding the words. "Let's say…10 years?"

"Oooh, looks like I _just_ made it."

"It seems that way."

"What a relief," Edward said sweetly, as he moved closer to me, finally closing the gap between us. He bent down slightly and wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his head in between my head and my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "I was afraid I'd missed my chance."

I threw my arms around his neck and felt my long dormant heart begin to stir. I turned my face against his neck, "Me, too."

He hugged me tighter to his body and lifted me off the ground. I adjusted against his body and tightened my grip around his neck. He smelled incredible, and I was completely intoxicated by everything about him. The way his arms felt around my waist, his breath on my neck, his chest on mine, the way his hair was now brushing against my forehead - everything had cast such a spell on me that it took a while for me to notice that Alice was trying to get our attention.

"Hey! What about me," she whined as she poked at us.

I could feel Edward smile against my neck. He put me back on my own feet and turned to Alice with a chuckle, "why am I not surprised that everything is still all about you?"

Alice handed me our beers, and sassed back, "Did you honestly believe it would be different, you silly, sweet, delusional boy?!" She reached up to his shoulders and jumped up in his arms.

Edward held her tightly in his arms swinging her back and forth, "You're still the same, meddling, little pixie you always were."

"And you love me for it!" She squealed and giggled and then kissed him on the cheek, "now put me down and let's get you a beer."

I loved that she was experiencing this reunion with Edward, too. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I couldn't believe that he was actually here.

Edward complied, and Alice hopped back up to the bar to get another drink.

I laughed at how tiny, little Alice could so effectively boss around the men in her life. I'd watched it with Emmett for years and now with Edward; it was too much to contain.

"Still the sassiest one in the room, too, I see," Edward teased. He glanced my way and caught me staring at him.

I held his gaze and said, "You have no idea." I took a sip of my beer.

"No idea about what," Emmett chimed in as he reached across me to shake Edward's hand.

"How in the hell have you survived all these years with that bossy, little minx?" Edward asked Emmett.

"It's all about patience and endurance, my friend," he explained. "Mostly it's about suffering the consequences when you don't do what she asks."

I almost choked on my beer. I loved it when Emmett expelled these little nuggets. If he only knew how funny he was.

"Hey, Al, get me a beer?" Emmett turned and joined Alice at the bar.

Edward moved to my side and leaned over slightly, "You know he'd be lost without the two of you, don't you?"

I looked up into his emerald green eyes, my breath caught in my chest and I completely forgot what I was going to say. I could feel the redness in my cheeks as my body completely betrayed me.

His eyes searched mine, and I saw the trace of that familiar smirk as it tugged at the corner of his mouth. He kept his eyes on mine, moved his hand to the small of my back, and leaned in closer, "You have no idea how glad I am that you never out grew that."

I stared back at him, desperate to find something daring and witty to say back. "There are quite a _few_ things, I never outgrew, Mr. Cullen," I teased back.

He leaned in closer and whispered in a husky voice, "I'm counting on it."

My knees went weak, but of course Edward caught me around the waist before I fell to the floor.

"Dammit, Edward! Can you not do _that_ to me? No 'dazzling,' please?" I said as I gathered my strength and stood on my own, brushing his hand away from my waist and straightened out my dress. "Not yet, anyway."

He tucked his lips into a straight line, stifling a laugh and held his hands up, seemingly agreeing to my demand. "Anything you say, Bella. No dazzling."

"Thank you," I breathed. "I'm a little out of practice."

"I've got all the time in the world…and I like practicing," he couldn't help himself.

I took one step away from him and pointed at him, "You're doing it again."

He dropped his head and laughed.

"What's so funny," Alice interrupted. She and Emmett returned from the bar with more drinks and passed them out.

"Ask Bella," Edward challenged.

They all looked at me, waiting for my reply. I put my beer to my lips and ignored them.

Edward laughed.

"You better take it easy there, Bella. If I take you home to Charlie's drunk tonight, he'll kill me," Emmett warned. "I don't think he cares that we're almost 30, you're still his daughter, and I'm still your 'trouble-maker' friend."

I finished my beer and put it down on the bar top. Alice handed me another, "Don't worry about me, Em. I'm a big girl."

"Wait! You're staying at Charlie's?" Edward looked at me, confused. "But I thought everyone was staying at Mom and Dad's."

I began to pick at the label on my beer bottle, unable to look up at him, "I…didn't…I…er…"

"Let's go find a table so we can really catch up. We want to hear all about London, Edward," Alice offered a distraction.

Edward walked beside me with his hand at the small of my back, guiding me through the crowd, to a small table in the far corner of the room. Even the slightest pressure of his hand on my back made my heart flutter.

We spent the next half hour catching up, listening to Edward's stories and telling him ours. I was relieved when we'd settled in to that familiar banter that we all knew so well, and for the moment all was right with the world.

Alice had been distantly engaged in our conversation for the last few minutes, but I didn't think much of it, until I glanced over at her, and she was staring past Emmett's shoulder, with the biggest, cheesiest grin I'd ever seen. Edward and Emmett were so engrossed in their conversation about baseball and the Mariners that they didn't notice her change in demeanor.

I looked at Alice and then followed her line of sight. What I saw at the end of her gaze made me gasp. I brought my hands up to my mouth to stifle the sound. I knew this new turn of events was going to change the course of this weekend…for the better. I spun my head back to Alice with surprise in my eyes. She simply smiled back at me and nodded her head up and down.

I turned to Emmett and stared at him with wide eyes.

He stopped mid-sentence, looked at me a little annoyed and asked, "What?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't help it. I just stared back at him.

"What is it, B-"

Two slender hands quickly snaked over Emmett's eyes. His hands immediately sprung up to the mystery hands, searching for clues that would give them away.

Edward looked over his shoulder, taking in the surprise. He took in a breath to speak, and I quickly reached up and slapped my hand across his mouth and turned his face to me. I held a finger up to my lips and gave up a little giggle. His eyes danced with pure pleasure at the surprise that was unfolding before us. He nodded and took my hand from his mouth. He held my hand in his and rested it on my knee under the table.

Emmett was laughing now, begging for us to give him a clue. We refused. His hands glided from the hands covering his eyes, up the arms, reaching the shoulders and brushing against soft curls.

"It's definitely a chick," he said confidently. "Is it Angela?"

Alice giggled, "Nope, try again."

"Jessica?"

"Nope," we all chimed in.

"You guys suck," Emmett said through his laughter. "At least give me a clue!"

Emmett sat, nervous and giddy like a little boy.

The surprise guest leaned in to Emmett's ear, draping her hair over his shoulder and whispered, but loud enough for us to hear, "You better fucking remember me, Emmett Cullen."

Emmett's dimples drained from his face as he ripped Rosalie's hands from his eyes and jerked his head to look at her.

"Son of a BITCH!" he yelled as he stood up and turned towards her. "Rosalie?!"

Rosalie Hale stood in front of Emmett looking like a she stepped out of old Hollywood. She was wearing a blood red, sleeveless wrap dress that clung to her every curve, with her blond hair cascading over her left shoulder and down her back. She was even more stunning now than she'd been in high school.

"Surprise!" she said. "Now get over her and give me a hug!"

Emmett gathered her up in his arms and spun her around wildly, while she laughed with total abandon.

Jasper had snuck over to Alice while the whole Emmett surprise was playing out. She was now happily snuggled up in Jasper's arms, holding his face and planting sweet kisses all over him.

Emmett put Rosalie down, wrapped his arms around her waist while she draped her arm over his shoulder with one hand on her hip, and they turned to the table. He was shocked again to see Jasper there, but more to the point, shocked that Alice was all over him.

"Which one of you did this?!" he asked enthusiastically.

Without saying a word, everyone pointed a finger at Alice.

"What?" Alice asked innocently.


	7. Explosions

Chapter 7: Explosions

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, and thank you for all of your comments! I'm still so surprised that my little story is so well received. It makes me genuinely giddy and encourages me to keep going!! **

**This chapter's song is a FANTASTIC song from the Swedish band, The Mary Onettes, called **_**Explosions**_**. It has a very heavy 80's sound and I just love it. As always check for an audio link on my bio page. **

**Hugs and kisses to my friend Tigress for being such an AWESOME beta for this story. Happy Birthday T! (mwah!)**

_**Disclaimer: Everything in the Twilight universe belongs to Stephenie Meyers, I just borrow these beloved characters for my own amusement. **_

EPOV

Alice didn't even try to defend her scheming that got us all to this reunion. She just sat there wide eyed, innocently smiling, and incredibly pleased at our reaction. Truth be told, no one really expected her to. If this weekend turned out as I had hoped, I would likely spend the rest of my life thanking her for being the meddlesome little sprite she was this time.

Bella was up on her feet, practically skipping to Rosalie to say 'hello.' I wanted to get up and follow her lead to acknowledge my old friends, but I was so taken by her, that I could do little more than stare. She was mesmerizing. I was drawn to everything about her, including her enthusiasm for our friends, her sweet spirit, the sound of her laugh, the way she blushed when she got flustered, not to mention how good the last 10 years had been to her physically.

Her thick, dark hair brushed against the porcelain skin of her shoulders and back. Her slight frame and the soft, beautiful curves of her body were only hinted underneath the delicate white dress she wore. Her warm, chocolate eyes danced when she laughed, and her full, ruby lips tempted me beyond all reason. I was attracted to her in every way possible. Watching her now with Rosalie, hugging and giggling I recognized so much of the Bella I knew so many years ago, but more than that, I was intrigued by the person she had become.

Jasper was standing next to me snapping his fingers in front of my face, and evidently, calling my name, "Edward? Edward?…hello?"

I blinked my eyes and turned to look at him, "Jasper!" I jumped up and shook Jasper's hand and hugged around his shoulders. "How the hell are you?"

"I'm good…now," he answered.

"What do you mean, _now_?" I chuckled curiously at Jasper's odd reply.

"I'll tell you later," he said in exasperation. "I only want to tell the story once, so I think I'll wait until everyone is around." Jasper's face looked completely drained by whatever ordeal he'd endured. I felt sorry for whatever it was.

Emmett joined us and slapped Jasper on the back which made him flinch a little, "Jasper Hale, fancy seeing you here. Oh! Hey, kinda jumpy there, aren't you?"

"If you had any idea what kind of day I've had, you'd be jumpy too," Jasper sighed.

"Well today is almost over," Emmett said as he wrapped his arms around both my shoulders and Jasper's shoulders and sighed. He didn't look so good. "Looks like you could use a drink, buddy," he said.

"Yes, please," Jasper begged. "Let me just go say 'hi' to Bella first."

Jasper walked away, and I turned to Emmett, "Are you okay? You look a little green."

"Did you know she was coming?" Emmett demanded.

"Not a clue," I confessed.

Emmett shook his head and started to rub his belly. "I'm just a little surprised that's all. Damn!" He reached up and rubbed his head and his neck, and then, he headed to the bar.

It seems we all had a little unfinished business to attend to. Even Emmett.

I followed Jasper with my eyes as he walked over to Bella, put his hand on her back and waited for her to turn around. When she turned to him, I watched her face light up when she saw who it was asking for her attention. He kissed her on the cheek, and she gave him a warm hug. She glanced at me over Jasper's shoulder and caught me staring at her. I probably would have been embarrassed if I hadn't been so consumed by her.

Alice had joined Jasper, Bella, and Rosalie, and they stood there in their little pack chattering at such speed, I couldn't even pretend to keep up. I walked up behind Rosalie and goosed her in the side.

Rosalie cinched her elbows in around her sides and turned to face me, her eyes squinted, "do you have a death wish, Cullen, or are you just happy to see me?" A smile broke across her face, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

I wrapped her in a hug, "probably a little bit of both, Rose. It's so great to see you!"

"You too, Edward," she said as she pulled away to look at me, and then, she reached up and slapped both of her hands on the sides of my face. "It's been too long since I've seen that handsome face. Isn't he handsome, Bella?"

I looked at Bella just in time to see the red creep across her cheeks, and winked at her.

She sighed and then bit her lip as Alice nudged her with her shoulder. She looked up at me through her eyelashes and smiled shyly. She took my breath away. I wasn't surprised by my physiological reaction to her.

Rosalie kissed me quickly, moved her hands from my face, ran her fingers through her hair at her temples and then fluffed her curls. "Speaking of handsome…" she said as she looked over her shoulder and turned her back to us with her eyes wide. "Can someone please tell me when in the _hell_ did Emmett get so damn sexy?"

We all laughed at Rose's directness.

"Okay, that's it. We're outta here," Jasper said. He put his hand on my shoulder and shoved me to join Emmett at the bar.

I stood there with the guys, but I wasn't paying any attention to their conversation. I watched the girls as they talked and laughed. Bella glanced over her shoulder, twice, to look in my direction, and each time, I met her gaze with mine. I could tell she was nervous and maybe even scared, but I knew I could be patient, and I had the resolve to do whatever I needed to do to make her mine again.

RPOV

"What? I'm serious! I can't get over it… Please tell me he's single," I begged.

"He's all yours, Rosalie," Alice confirmed.

"And what about Edward? Holy shit! He grew up good," Rosalie said with a growl.

"Yes, he did," Bella said barely above a whisper as she looked over her shoulder.

"So, are you two together?" I asked.

"No! No…no," she disputed and snapped her head back towards us. "Tonight is the first time we've seen each other since he left. I don't even know if he's single."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Not kidding," Alice replied.

I was beyond surprised. Bella and Edward were made for each other, written in the stars, like Romeo and Juliet and all that other fairy tale shit. I always assumed they would have found their way back to each other by now. _What a shame_.

"Well, so what are we going to do about that, Bella?" I put my arm around her shoulder and teased her. "Should we throw you two in a closet for a game of '7 minutes of heaven' like we did when we were in Junior High?"

"Rosalie Hale, I will never speak to you again if you even think about meddling!" she announced. "And that goes for you too, Alice."

"Calm down, babe," I tried to reassure her. "I won't make things hard for you, or for him. I was just teasing."

Alice and Bella bickered back and forth about what Alice might or might not have planned. I looked over at the boys. Emmett was leaning on his elbows across the bar, so his perfect, little butt was right in my line of sight. _Hello, gorgeous_. He hopped down from his perch at the bar, and turned to hand the guys their drinks. His dimples were deeper than I remembered, his smile was broader, and his body was more tempting. _This is going to be an interesting weekend_.

Emmett looked up and stopped dead in his tracks when he caught me checking him out. I slowly brushed my hair over my shoulder, raised my hand beckoning him to me with the flick of my fingers, and then touched my lips seductively. He swallowed hard before a devilish grin spread across his face. _This is going to be a __very__ interesting weekend_.

He led the guys back to our little table, and stopped right in front of me handing me a glass of white wine. "I know exactly what you're doing, Rosalie Hale, and you should know, its working." He looked behind me to check out my ass and confirmed, "It's definitely working."

I reached up, put my hand on his shoulder, slid it down his back, across his perky butt and then squeezed. "I'm glad to hear it," I cooed seductively.

Emmett's eyes went wide, and he flinched a little bit. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that I actually scared him.

Jasper and Edward joined us, and we all settled in at the table.

Alice sat on Jasper's lap. Bella and Edward were sitting next to each other being coy, dancing their own little awkward dance. I was sitting across from them, and even I could feel the electricity between them. Edward was playing it so cool, but I knew he was just as nervous as Bella, if that was possible. Emmett sat next to me leaning back in his chair, sipping his beer with his arm around the back of my chair.

"Edward, did you know that Jasper and Rosalie were on the same flight from Seattle to Port Angeles with you today?" Alice chirped.

"No way!" Edward exclaimed in surprised.

"Yes way," Jasper piped up. "We were about 10 minutes away from landing, and you stood up in the front of the plane to get something out of your bag, and I almost had a heart attack."

"Oh, Jasper!" Bella squealed. "What did you do?"

_How had I missed this?_ "You were on the same plane?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah." Sweat started to bead up on Jasper's forehead just telling the story. "Why do you think I sat there with you seething next to me while I fumbled with my freakin' phone? I was buying myself some time!"

"Poor baby," Alice cooed as she wrapped her arms around Jasper's shoulders and rested her head on his.

"I can't believe this," Edward said, intrigued by Jasper's near death experience. "I didn't even see you!"

"No, you didn't, but that's only because I sacrificed my physical well being and personal safety when I saw you and Emmett just chatting casually in the main terminal," Jasper explained nervously as he waived across the table in Edward's direction. "I made a decision in that moment that I knew I could possibly pay for, for the rest of my natural life."

"Is THAT why you turned around and knocked me on my ass in the middle of the airport?" I said and started to laugh.

"That was YOU screeching at the top of your lungs this afternoon?" Emmett was laughing with me now.

Everyone burst into laughter.

"You heard her?" Jasper asked through tears.

"There was no one in that airport that DIDN'T hear her!" Edward nudged Emmett and then slapped him on the back and laughed harder.

"You poor thing, Jasper," Bella said with as much sympathy as she could muster. She rubbed his back and then dropped her head trying to hide her own laughter.

"I was so pissed. I almost killed him!"

"I was scared for my life!" Jasper wiped away his tears and admitted, "If it wasn't for Alice and the fact that she wanted all this for you fools, I would have given up on this whole thing a long time ago."

Then I told them the story of how Jasper had lured me back to this God-forsaken town by baiting me with a surprise birthday party for Gran. And how I didn't know whether to kill him or kiss him when we pulled up to The Lodge, and I saw the banner outside that said "Welcome Class of 1998." I really did give him a hard time, but I was so glad for it. I reached over and rubbed Emmett's muscular thigh. _This is so much better than hanging with Gran._

"Here's to Jasper," Emmett sat up to the table and bellowed as he raised his beer to toast him. "Because of his selfless sacrifices today, we're all here together!"

We all raised our drinks.

"Here, here," Bella sang out.

"To Jasper," Alice and Edward chimed in unison.

"I was a total bitch to you all day. I'm so sorry. Do you forgive me?"

"You should be sorry, Rose," he laughed. "And, yes, I forgive you. Being here with Alice makes it all worth it."

"Aw, baby," Alice whispered to Jasper and then gave him a gentle kiss. "See, I told you it was all going to work out."

"Wait just _one_ minute," Emmett shook his head as if he was shaking loose the cobwebs. I could almost hear Emmett's gears clicking," You two were in on this together! How in the hell did that happen? And why are you sitting on his lap, Alice, being all lovey dovey?"

It had been so natural seeing them together again, that it didn't dawn on me that this should have been a reunion for them too. Emmett's question had clearly gotten everyone's attention.

"Alice! He's right. What's going on?" Bella sat up straight and reached her arms across the table towards Jasper and Alice.

Alice giggled and wrapped her arms tighter around Jasper's neck, "We ran into each other about a month ago in LA, and we've been together ever since."

"So that's why you came back from that stupid conference so giddy! I'll be damned," Emmett bellowed.

"But you never said anything. How did you keep something this big a secret?" Bella asked with a look of sheer confusion and a little hint of hurt for being left out. .

Jasper reached across the table and took Bella's hand. "Don't get your feelings hurt, Bella. We needed to keep it a secret if we were going to pull off this weekend with all of you. If any of you had known that Alice and I had found each other again, and then all of a sudden we were making the trip home for this reunion, you all would have been suspicious."

"We kept it secret for the greater good of the surprise," Alice chirped.

"You're a sneaky little thing, Alice," Emmett said as he leaned forward on the table with his beer between his hands. "Good thing you use your powers for good, not evil"

"Ain't _that_ the truth," I chimed in as I leaned up putting one elbow on the table and resting my chin in my palm. I reached up and ran my hands across Emmett's broad shoulders.

On the other side of Emmett I could see Bella and Edward being all nervous and cute with each other. Maybe they needed some time alone.

"Edward, would you be a doll and go out to the car and get my pashmina?" I asked him sweetly. "I'm a little chilly."

He replied quickly, "Sure thing, Rose."

Jasper fished the keys to the rental car out of his pocket and handed him the keys. "It's a red Ford Focus, parked down the street on the South side."

BPOV

Edward got up to run Rose's errand and then held his hand out to me. "Come with me?"

_Crap! _I looked at Alice and took Edward's hand, and then I looked back at Edward and stood up. "Sure."

He held my hand as he led me through the now very crowded scene. As we passed through the room, people paused to watch us walk by. I could see in their faces that they hoped that we would stop, but Edward kept moving. Once we got to the lobby, he pulled me closer to him, opened the door, and put his hand on my back to escort me outside.

I walked along beside him, not really knowing what to say, glancing up at his face. He turned to look at me, and in classic Bella form, I tripped on my own two feet in the parking lot. Edward caught me just as I saw the pavement rushing up to meet my face.

"Whoa!" he chuckled. "I've got you."

"These damn shoes!" I said trying to convince myself and Edward that it was in fact the shoes' fault and not my clumsy nature. I was splayed across his body with my hands gripping his perfect biceps. He had one arm wrapped tightly around my waist and one arm around my shoulders. If we were dancing, it might look a lot like a super sexy, romantic dip, but unfortunately we weren't dancing, and this was far from sexy.

I was painfully embarrassed, and I knew I must have been a lovely shade of red by now, but I couldn't move. I was trapped by his embrace, and my eyes searched his face. His low laugh faded with his smile, and we stared hopelessly at each other. I loosened my grip on his arms and moved my hands to his shoulders.

"You and I both know it's not the shoes," he said in his rich, velvety smooth voice.

I smacked him on the chest and started unraveling myself from his hold, trying to get my feet back under me. I stood steady on my own two feet and smoothed out my hair. _Play it off, Bella_. "Have you seen these things?" I asked him, stretching my leg out in front of us, bending my knee and turning my ankle from side to side to show off the heel.

"The shoes or your legs?" he asked as he raised one cocky eyebrow and took a long, lingering look up the length of my outstretched leg.

"Stop it!" I cried as I playfully swiped at him again and started to walk through the parking lot. "I've already told you, I'm out of practice."

He took a few quick steps to catch up with me but walked a safe distance away from me to prove he was on good behavior, "I'm sorry, Bella. It's just so easy for me to be _me_ around you."

"I know what you mean."

"Do you, Bella?" he asked sincerely.

"I do," I answered honestly. Two hours into this reunion, and all this time with Edward, I was still so nervous. Being with him was exciting and frightening at the same time. I didn't think I could trust myself with him.

We walked slowly to the end of the parking lot and turned right down the street.

Edward put his hands in his pockets, and asked, "Can you believe Alice did all this?"

"Have you _met_ Alice?" I said sarcastically.

"I think that being away so long made me forget what she was capable of doing," he raised one hand to his head and ran his fingers through his terminally messy and yet always perfect copper hair.

"At least I had a little forewarning about you being here," I said as I began to nervously twist a strand of hair at my shoulder. "But poor Emmett looked like he was going to be sick."

"Yeah, he did. I can't say that I blame him," Edward looked up the street a little and spotted Jasper's rental car and pointed it out to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked him as I stole a glance at his face. Every slope of his profile was perfectly chiseled. I wanted to touch his face and run my fingers along the sharp lines of his jaw, but mostly I wanted to kiss his pillow lips.

"I knew you were going to be here tonight, and I thought I was prepared, but when I first saw you across that room, I have to tell you, my heart stopped," he clicked a button on the key ring and the car chirped. "I'm just saying that I think I know how Emmett felt when he saw Rosalie."

_What did he just say?_

I stood there in the middle of the street shocked by Edward's admission, "I made your heart stop?"

I had been so caught up in my nerves and my worries about tonight, that I hadn't once considered that this was hard for him too. I watched him reach into the back seat for Rosalie's wrap and for the first time allowed myself to believe that he might be nervous too. He might have the same apprehensions and nervous energy that I had. I felt like something was bubbling just below the surface, and I was struggling to keep it under control. He shut the door, and clicked the button to lock the doors and turned back to me with Rosalie's black pashmina in his hand.

"You always have, Bella," he said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and we started walking back to the party. "You _still_ don't see yourself clearly, do you?"

I sighed softly, "I guess not." I wanted all the anxiety and nervousness between us to just disappear. I felt like I was wasting precious time worrying.

"So, I have to ask," he started cautiously, as he looked down at his feet. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"Nope. You?" _Please be single. Please be single. Please, please, please._

"Nope. Free as a bird."

_Thank you!_

"Well, that's convenient, isn't it?" I nervously tried to play along. He was much better at this little game though, and I knew it. Unfortunately, so did he.

"Very," Edward squeezed my shoulder. I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye.

The affect that his closeness had on me was overwhelming. My feet kept moving underneath me but I was barely aware. The smell of him, his warmth, and the strength of his hold around my shoulders left me helpless. My eyes glazed over as I stared straight ahead, and I felt him moving closer to me. My palms were starting to sweat, and my heart fluttered like mad.

"Breathe, Bella," he leaned over and whispered hoarsely in my ear. He had to know what he was doing to me.

I sucked in a big breath, I blinked quickly several times, and I shrugged his arm off my shoulder, a little agitated. "You're doing it again! You really can't help yourself can you?"

"Honestly, Bella, I can't," he chuckled as he put his hands in pockets and walked along beside me.

"You probably _can't_ help it, but I need you to try," I nervously brushed my hair off my forehead and behind my shoulders.

Did he honestly not know the affect he had on me? Or was it all part of his strategy? Wear the poor girl down and seriously take advantage of her conflicted and yet controlled emotional state. _He's not playing fair. _

"Whatever you say, Bella. No dazzling. I promise I'll try to be good." He criss-crossed an 'x' over his heart and shoved his hand back into his pocket.

"Thank you." I hoped that Edward didn't mistake my cautiousness and distance for rejection. I really wanted all his attentions, but I couldn't let him sweep me off my feet just yet.

We turned into the parking lot, still walking side by side but at a safe distance from each other. I could feel the electricity between us, and my heart was still beating wildly in my chest.

"I guess there'll be no convincing you to stay with the rest of us at Mom and Dad's instead of Charlie's tonight," he asked playfully, as if he didn't already know my answer.

"Nope," I said without hesitation. I knew if I went to the Cullen's that I would loose all my resolve and my dignity along with it. It would make the inevitable so much more difficult.

"It's too bad I just promised to be good, because I would have had a really great time trying to convince you," he teased.

Edward opened the door for me and I teased back as I walked past him, "Aw, that _is_ too bad."

We made our way back to our friends who were still sitting at the little table in the corner. They all beamed at us as they welcomed us back. Alice had an impish look on her face, trying to determine whether or not there had been any action out in the parking lot. I shook her off with a squint of my eyes, and her face dropped into a tiny little pout.

Edward moved behind Rosalie and wrapped her pashmina around her shoulders. She reached up and patted his hand that rested on her shoulder. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, "better?" he asked.

"Thank you, baby," she sang out. "I hope you two didn't do anything on that little field trip that I wouldn't do."

_That would be a very short and sordid list. _

"Definitely not," Edward sighed as he plopped down in his chair. "I've pledged to be on my best behavior until further notice."

"Bella!" Alice was so disappointed to hear the verbal confirmation that I had put the ka-bosh on all Edward's advances. She threw a wadded up cocktail napkin at me from across the table.

I giggled and waved my outstretched hand in a circle above my head and said, "this is a dazzle free zone."

Emmett raised his hand to me with his palm facing out for a high five and congratulated me on my resolve. "Good for you, Bella. You make him work for it," He exclaimed.

I leaned up and reached around Edward, slapping Emmett's outstretched palm and then smugly turned to Edward. "That's the plan."

"Whatever it takes," he said and blinded me with a dangerously sexy smile while his crystal green eyes dared me to question his sincerity. I audibly swallowed knowing that he took this as a challenge. Dazzling or not, I knew I was in trouble.

_Must. Resist. _

The six of us sat at that table reminiscing and laughing for the rest of the night. Every now and then, one of our classmates would stop by the table to chat, but for the most part, it was just us. Sometime around 2:00 in the morning, I started to give in to the exhaustion from the day, and I yawned.

"Why in the hell are we still sitting here like we don't have anywhere else to go?" Rosalie said as she looked around at the few stragglers that were situated around the room. "I say we take our little party on over to Edward's place."

"Fantastic idea, Rosalie," Alice jumped up from her seat and started tugging at Jasper to join her.

Edward looked at me with a little lingering hope in his eyes that I would change my mind and go with him, but then he gave in and asked, "If you won't come with us, can I at least drive you home?"

"But everyone is going to your house. I don't want to keep you from -"

"Bella, its not like they're actually guests, and I need to play host. They'll be fine," Edward stood up and held out his hand to help me up. "Come on, let me take you home."

I hugged and kissed everyone goodbye. Alice pulled me to the side and gave me hard time about the arms length that I was keeping between me and Edward, "I hope you know what you're doing Bella."

"I'm just taking my time, Alice. You can't honestly believe that there's anything wrong with that, can you?" I defended my decision to take it slow. "I have no idea where this is going, or how much time we actually have, . ." I hesitated, and swallowed hard before I continued. "before he leaves again. But don't worry, I'm not completely crazy. I'm not going to turn him away, or tell him no. I just need to do this my way and in my own time."

Alice kissed me on the cheek, "As long as you don't chicken out, Bella. You've only got 3 days to make something happen. I don't think I can stand by and watch you dismiss your destiny."

"I won't, Alice."

Edward came up behind me and put his hand on the small of my back, which made me jump, "Are you ready?"

"I am," I said as I allowed Edward to lead me through the parking lot to the car.

He clicked the remote on his key ring and the tail lights on a black Mercedes blinked to life just ahead of us. He walked around the car and opened the passenger door for me and helped me in. I watched him walk around the front of the car to the driver's side. He got in and started the engine.

He talked while I listened during the short drive to Charlie's house. Being in the small confines of the car, I became so aware of his perfection. Everything about him was both familiar and new at the same time. I memorized his features in the glow of the dashboard, and I watched as a few strands of his hair danced from the forced air coming through the vents. The cadence of his words had me breathless. When he pulled up the driveway behind Charlie's cruiser and put the car in park, he turned to face me, and I knew I was in serious trouble.

_Hold on tight, Bella. _

"I feel like we're kids again, and I'm bringing you home after a date," he said with a hint of a trouble in his voice.

"It does," I agreed and bravely continued to stare back at him. "But it must have been a fancy date, because we're in your dad's car."

"Definitely a fancy date," he chuckled and then hung his head.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm just thinking about how we used to end our dates back then," he whispered and turned his face back to me.

"Edward…" I bit my lip a little embarrassed.

"I know I promised to be good, but I can't resist," My eyes grew wide as the devil crept across his face. He leaned across the center console closer to me, with his twinkling eyes fixed on mine as he grinned wickedly and wiggled his eyebrows, "Wanna make out?"

A gasp escaped my lips as I lurched away from him, pressing my back against the door. _Can't breathe._ I felt trapped. Every part of my body tensed up, and I thought my heart was going to explode in my chest. I fumbled along the length of the car door, trying desperately to find the door handle. "I have to go." I whispered.

He looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or soothe me, but then I saw the panic as it spread across his face, "Bella, wait! I'm so sorry. I was just teasing you."

I was out of the car and reaching for the house key, before Edward caught up to me on the porch. I fit the key into the lock and reassured him with what I hoped was without any color of anger or hurt in my voice. "I know you were teasing, its okay. I'll be okay. I just have to go."

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I don't want tonight to end like this. It can't end like this. Please say you forgive me." He reached for my hand, begging me to understand and to stay.

The touch of his hand called me to stay with him, to kiss him like I wanted to, but I needed to get away. I felt like I was on the verge of a melt down, and I didn't want this witnessed. "Of course I forgive you, Edward," I said coolly as I opened the door and stepped into Charlie's living room. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Everything will be fine tomorrow."

Edward's face was pained and confused, "But, Bella, wait -"

"I'm fine, Edward. Really. You should go home," my tone was calm and my eyes guarded as I took my hand from his and quietly shut the door.


	8. Won't Go Home Without You

**A/N: I thought I might get tarred and feathered for leaving poor Edward rejected and Bella out of her mind in the last chapter, but thankfully it wasn't that bad. Thanks so much for your comments. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions on the story. **

**Thanks to _Tigress_ for, well…for being her and for being such a rock star beta!!**

**This chapter's tune is **_**Won't Go Home Without You**_**, by Maroon 5. I have a teensy, little thing for Adam Levine, so I had to give them some love. The audio link for this song is on my bio page. **

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight lives and breathes because of Stephenie Meyer. I humbly borrow from her genius. **_

**For all of you Twilighters with a propensity for fanfic, please be sure to check out **_**psymom's**_** new place. **** www (dot) twilighted (dot) net. All are welcome!!**

BPOV

I stood with my back against Charlie's front door for a minute, trying desperately to catch my breath, trying to wrap my brain around what I had just done to Edward and what I had just denied for myself. I felt the definitive panic in my head, but my body was surprisingly numb. I wondered when the tears would come. It was only a matter of time. I pushed away from the door with my shoulders and headed upstairs.

I flipped on the light switch in my bedroom, dropped my hand bag on the desk and went straight for my closet. It seems that Charlie had been using the space as storage for all of his hunting and fishing gear, so I wasn't sure that I would find what I was looking for. After a bit of rummaging and rearranging of gear, I found the box I was looking for in the far left corner and pulled it out.

I took off my shoes and tossed them into my open suitcase. I knelt on the floor running my hands along the top of the box, tracing the letters written in big black magic marker, 'Edward', for a moment before I could muster the courage to open it. I carefully released the flaps and opened the box. In this present state of mind I could have stayed awake for hours reading every note, looking at every photo, carefully touching every dried flower in that box, but I was looking for something specific. I needed to find it. I carefully sifted through the piles of folded papers, cards and other little mementos until I reached the bottom of the box. My fingers found the edge of a soft, folded pile of cotton, and I pulled it out and brought it to my face. It smelled a little musty from being stored away for so long, but I didn't care, it still carried all the significance it had so long ago.

I got up from the floor and went to my suitcase that was sitting at the foot of my bed. I peeled off my white eyelet dress and leggings and dug through my suitcase for a pair of boxers and my travel bag, and then padded to the bathroom in my underwear to get ready for bed. I stopped in the hallway before I reached the bathroom and turned reflexively back to my room. I thought I'd heard a noise, but everything was dead quiet, except for the muffled buzz of Charlie's snore. I shrugged it off and went about my bathroom business. I could barely stand to look at myself in the mirror as I washed my face and then brushed my teeth because of how badly I had behaved with Edward tonight. _I should have kissed him. Stupid, stupid, Bella._ I dressed for bed and headed back to my room.

I threw my little travel bag into my suitcase, flipped off the light switch and was suddenly startled by a sharp knocking. I jumped backwards and covered my mouth to stifle an involuntary shriek.

EPOV

I stood on Charlie's front porch and hung my head. I had pushed her too far, and I had no one to blame but myself. She had warned me all night that my shameless flirting had been too much for her, but I didn't listen. I wish she understood that it was all nervous energy, and I didn't mean it. I had handled it badly, I had handled Bella badly. I didn't want the night to end this way. I just wanted to make it right. I knocked lightly on the door, hoping she'd hear me and let me explain. Nothing.

It was selfish of me to want to apologize to her again and to make her listen. She'd asked me to leave, so I should. I went to the car and headed for home. I got to the only street light in town where Division Street meets the 101 and waited for the light to turn green. _You can't go home and leave everything unsaid, Edward. She'll hear you if you explain. Tomorrow. Go to her. Not tomorrow…now. _

I sped away from the light and maneuvered a highly illegal u-turn and went back to Charlie's house. If I was desperate enough, and at this moment I definitely was, surely she wouldn't turn me away. I had to make this right.

I parked down the block and made my way up the hill to the house. I picked up a few little pebbles on the street and walked through the yard to just under her window. The light was still on, so I thought I might be in luck. I threw 3 different stones at the window, but Bella never came. I thought about knocking on the door again, but I didn't want to wake Charlie. He had always liked me well enough, but I don't know that finding me on his porch at nearly 3 o'clock in the morning would go over too well.

I sized up the tree that grew beside the house. I'd climbed that tree a hundred times before, so I didn't have any doubts I could now. I reached up to the lowest branch and pulled myself up into the cradle of the tree. My loafers were slipping on the bark, but I didn't have much further to go. I perched myself in the branches just outside her window and tapped my finger lightly on the glass. I didn't want to scare her, but my position in the tree was precariously unstable and getting worse by the minute. The light in her bedroom went out. I peered through the window and saw her standing at the foot of her bed in the dark room. This was my chance. I balled up my fist and knocked loudly on the glass, getting her attention and for the tenth time tonight, scaring her with my grand gestures. _Damn. _

BPOV

_You've got to be kidding me!_

To say that I was shocked to see Edward perched in my Father's tree outside my window was an understatement. It had been less than 20 minutes since I had so precisely flipped out on him and sent him away, an act I had almost instantly regretted. I moved my clamped hands from my mouth to clutch my chest. I couldn't determine if my heart was banging in my chest because I just got the crap scared out of me or if it was because he was here.

I went to the window, opened it and leaned out looking up and down the block, "Have you lost your mind?! What are you doing?"

"I'm so sorry about before, Bella," he pleaded from his precarious position in my tree. "I just can't leave things the way they are. I can't stand it that I've hurt you, or upset you. Please give me five minutes, and I promise I'll go."

"You didn't hurt me, Edward. I'm fine. I just got a little freaked out," I said quietly with a great amount of shame for making him feel so badly.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I'd sit in this tree all night and tell you that over and over again, if that's what it took, but I think this branch is about to break," he looked down at the ground and started laughing nervously. "Can you let me in? I promise I'll be good."

I pushed open the window and stepped out of the way so he could climb in. I watched as he balanced between the tree and the window and grimaced when his foot slipped on the window sill. Edward landed face first hard on the floor as a whoosh of air escaped him.

"Oh my – Edward! Are you okay?" I whispered, as if the 180 pound man falling on my floor hadn't been enough to already have awakened Charlie, and I hovered over him, touching him lightly on his back.

Edward rolled over on his back with his hands on his chest half moaning and half laughing, "That's not as easy as it used to be."

"I can't believe you did this," my voice was quiet but I was having a hard time controlling my giggles watching Edward roll around on his back laughing at himself. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not hurt." He rolled over on his side and sat up leaning against the wall underneath the window, still rubbing his chest with one arm. He chuckled, "I didn't have a choice. You bolted, and I still have so much to say to you. I know you said it would all be okay tomorrow, but I didn't want to wait."

I moved to sit on bed, leaning against the headboard, and I looked over at clock on the nightstand which read '3:12', "it is tomorrow."

He looked over at the clock and said, "It has been for a while, huh?" He got up, walked over, lay on the bottom of my bed, and stretched out on his side, resting on his elbow, facing me at the foot of my bed. I knew he was trying to make sure I was comfortable with the distance, but good grief, did he look amazing lying on his side like that.

"It has," I said fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. _Crap!_ I quickly pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms tight around them.

EPOV

I wasn't even remotely embarrassed about falling through her window, but I was having a hard time finding the courage to say what I had come to say. Bella had settled in across from me, seemingly ready to find out what was so important that I climbed her tree at three o'clock in the morning. It was a surprisingly clear night for Forks, and the moonlight flooded through the open window, dimly lighting the room.

"So…I've got something important…ummm…to tell you," I struggled with the words.

"Okay," she said barely above a whisper. I could see that she was bracing herself for what I might reveal.

I sighed, not really knowing how to start but then I said, "First of all, I am so sorry about tonight. I didn't mean to make this hard on you. I should have been more sensitive."

"I know, but it _is_ hard for me, Edward," she sighed and shifted her eyes away from me toward the window. "And I don't want you to feel guilty about that. I understand that our history is something neither of us could control, and that it was something that happened to us. You're off the hook for my emotional instability, I promise. I just need to - "

I stopped her, "Stop, Bella." I sat up and scooted closer to her. "Just stop."

She kept her head turned toward the window.

"There's something you need to understand. I'm not here for some stupid reunion, I'm not even here because of Alice's grand plan. I'm here because every day for the last decade I've missed you," I said and then swallowed hard trying to compose myself. "I came back for you. You take whatever time you need, but I'm not going anywhere."

She looked at me, and I could see that tears were pooling in her eyes. Her voice cracked when she spoke, "You're not leaving?"

"No," I said and even scooted closer to her now. I reached up with my fingers and brushed her hair from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear, moving my hand to her shoulder.

"You're not leaving," she squeaked as the tears now spilled over the dam.

"Oh, Bella. No," I put my hand on her knees and tried to reassure her. "Please don't cry."

"You've just told me that you've finally come back, and you're not leaving, and you honestly expect there to be no crying?" she croaked out through the tears. "Did Emmett and Alice know about this?"

"Emmett knew, but he didn't want to be the one to tell you," I admitted softly.

"I'll kill him!" She sat still for a minute and then whispered almost to herself, "This changes everything."

I smiled hopelessly at her and whispered back, "I sure hope so."

"How did this happen?" she asked.

I watched her eyes carefully, almost asking her permission as I moved slowly next to her leaning against the headboard with my legs stretched out in front of me. "After 2 years of proposals and scheming, I finally got the big wigs to approve a transfer, and here I am. I'm moving to Seattle as soon as we finish up here, and I open the new office in 2 weeks," I explained.

"Why now?" she asked.

"Because I've spent the last 10 years trying to make something of my life, and for the most part I succeeded. I got a great education, I've got a great job, I'm doing well financially, but one thing has been completely elusive." I was finally letting it all go and telling her the truth. "I've never felt connected to any other human being along the way, like I am connected to you."

She said nothing, but dropped her cheek to rest on her knees, and she looked at me with a wrinkled brow.

I reached over to take her hand in mine and continued, "When I left, Bella, I left my heart with you. Who finds their soul mate at 17?"

"I did," she said, barely above a whisper, and raised her face up to meet my gaze.

"The way I see it, the best way to find the road that's going to lead us back to 'us,' has to start at the beginning," I said as I took her hand and threaded my fingers through hers. "Well here we are, back in Forks, in the very place where we said 'goodbye' so many years ago. I don't know how much further back we'd have to go to find a more perfect beginning than this."

Bella tipped her body to lean on me. She rested her head on my shoulder and her bent knees collapsed near my lap.

I let go of her hand and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. With absolute conviction I said, "Bella, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to deserve you. We'll take as much time as you need, and we'll go as slowly as you want to go, just please tell me you want to try."

I rubbed her upper arms gently trying to reassure her that my intentions were honest. I wanted nothing more than to have a second chance with Bella, a second chance at the only love I've ever known. I could be patient. We sat there wrapped up in each other on her bed for what seemed like an eternity before she spoke.

"Start at the beginning?" she asked cautiously as she kept her head buried against my shoulder.

"Only if that's what you want."

She put her hands on my chest and pushed herself up and out of my embrace and said with a smile in her eyes and tears on her cheeks, "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"I have no idea, Bella Swan, but I can't wait to find out," I said with a smirk on my face. I reached up put my right hand on her cheek and wiped her tears away with my thumb.

Bella leaned her head into my touch and smiled softly. She touched her hand to mine before she took it between both of her hands. She lovingly traced my fingers and the tendons in my hand before she turned it over and kissed my palm. The intimacy of that moment flooded my heart and gave me more hope than I'd experienced all night.

She turned away from me and swung her feet over the edge of the bed and reached for the lamp on the bed side table twisting on the knob. "Be right back," she said as she padded across the room to the bathroom.

The light from the lamp was soft, but I still covered my eyes reflexively with my hands and rubbed. I rolled off the bed with a squint. I took a quick look around the room. Bella's room looked exactly as I remembered it. I walked around the edge of the bed, glancing at photos, touching the top of the quilt that covered the bed. I stepped around the suitcases and went to the window. So far things were going remarkably well. I put one arm up against the window frame and ducked my head a little to look down the block.

BPOV

I turned on the water and bent over the sink, splashing water on my tear stained face. _I can't believe this is happening. Edward was saying all the right things. He's missed me, he wants to be with me, and he's staying. He's staying! _In my mind I was doing that little dance that Laura Linney did in the movie "Love Actually," after the hot Spanish guy kissed her. Standing there in that bathroom by myself I could barely contain my emotions. I blotted my face with a hand towel and brushed my hair, trying to reign everything back in. I was as calm as I was going to get, and I decided I wasn't going to waste one more minute hiding out in the bathroom.

I stopped just inside the doorway of my bedroom and saw my beautiful, patient Edward leaning on his forearm above his head against the window, and his thumb hitched around his waist. His words tonight, and the sight of him here, had melted every ounce of indecision and will power I'd stock piled for this weekend.

I walked up to the window and leaned against the opposite side of the window frame from him with my hands clasped behind my back. He looked at me, smiled and said softly, "What are you thinking?"

I leaned my head back against the window frame, looked back at him and said, "I'm thinking that we've been in this exact place before, only this time we're saying 'hello' instead of 'goodbye'."

Edward pushed off the window frame and moved next to me. He moved my hair back over my shoulder and rested his hand against my neck, rubbing his thumb lightly across my bottom lip and then across the length of my jaw. His hand moved from my neck, across my shoulder and then he lightened his touch as his fingers trailed down the length my spine, causing my heart to flutter wildly, finally resting his hand on my hip. His eyes were bright and clear even in the moonlight, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he whispered, "Right where we left off. 'Hello' is a hell of a lot better than 'goodbye,' don't you think?"

I blinked a couple of times, moving my eyes back and forth between his eyes and his lips smiling sweetly and sighed, "Definitely."

Edward adjusted his hand on my hip, pulling me tighter to his long, lean body and circled his other arm around my waist. He was watching my eyes for any signs of refusal. This time he met none. I rose up on the tips of my toes and lifted my face to meet his tender gaze as he leaned in closer. My fluttering heart was now pounding audibly in my ears, and I was having a hard time focusing. His face was inches from mine, and I could feel his warm breath on my face as he whispered, "Hello, Bella."

My eyes fluttered closed involuntarily, and I felt ten thousand little explosions all over my body when Edward gently touched my lips with his. My body responded as I moved my arms over his shoulders and around his neck. His soft, full lips moved gently and perfectly in sync with mine. As soon as the bliss began to take over, he broke the kiss, but followed it with several sweet pecks, before he wrapped me in a warm hug, kissing my cheek and along my jaw and neck before nuzzling his head on my shoulder with his lips moving along my collar bone. I felt the rush of passion that had died in front of this window so many years ago begin to bubble and burn inside my chest. I wrapped my arms tighter around him, snaking my hand around the base of his neck knotting my fingers lightly in his hair.

"So does this mean you'll go out with me," he chucked against my skin on my shoulder.

I threw my head back and giggled, "yes."

He shifted slightly in our embrace, moving one hand from my hip to my face, tilting my chin back down so he could look at me, "Will you let me take you to the reunion tomorrow?"

A noise beyond the bedroom door startled us. Charlie coughed, and we could hear his feet on the hardwood floors as he shuffled down the hallway to the bathroom interrupting our quiet little moment. We both froze and then stared at each other through clenched teeth, holding our breath as if we were still kids on the verge of getting caught by my Dad.

"It's a date," I said quietly as I untangled myself from his arms and put my hands on his shoulders turning him towards the window. "You should go."

He laughed, as he bent through the window and flung one leg through, "Can't I use the front door?"

"NO! Charlie will see you!" I whispered loudly.

"What's he going to do? Ground you?" he whispered back defiantly still straddling the window sill.

"He might! Now go!"

"Fine," he sulked. Edward slinked gracefully out the window onto the tree branches, paused and turned his face back towards me, before he started his descent. He leaned back towards me.

I leaned through the open window and placed my hands on his face and kissed him sweetly. The fire I felt on my lips was maddening, but I reminded myself that I could take my time. We had time. I pulled away from him completely dizzy, and promised, "I'll see you tomorrow…well, actually, later today"

"I'm already looking forward to it," he said as he started climbing down the tree. "You should come to the house. Mom and Dad would love to see you."

"We'll see." I said as I watched him until he safely reached the ground and looked back up at me, blowing a kiss. He turned his back and walked back to his car.

I was still standing in the open window watching him when Edward stopped suddenly in the middle of the yard, turned back and called to me, "Hey, Bella."

I bent through the window, peaking out at him, "Hmm?"

"Nice shirt," he said as a wicked little smile crept across his face.

I grabbed the hem of my shirt, pulled it out and looked down. I was beyond embarrassed. There was no cool way to explain this, so I dropped my head in my hands covering my face.

"I always thought it looked better on you than it ever did on me," he said with a chuckle.

"Go home!" I instructed as I pointed down the block. I heard him laugh, and then I watched him jog across the driveway and down the block to his car.

I shut the window and then crawled into bed. I stared at the ceiling, whispered 'thank you' to the universe and spent the next hour recalling every detail of our conversation before drifting off to sleep.


	9. Whatever Lola Wants

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone for continuing to read the story and for all the great comments. I always get so tickled when I see you all asking for more…SOON! Your reviews and thoughts are so appreciated. I've made a nice batch of lemonade to go along with this chapter, I hope you like it. **

**Sarah Vaughan's song, Whatever Lola Wants, truly inspired me while I was writing for Alice. It's just so perfect for her. I've posted a link on my bio page for the iconic version of the song, but if you've got time you should definitely check out a remixed version of the song (****Whatever Lola Wants (Gotan Project remix)) which you can find at last-fm(dot)com. It's pretty fierce. **

**Special thanks to **_**Tigress**_** once again for keeping me on track and for being such a great beta. **

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just borrowing a little piece of her genius to write this story. **_

APOV

Like most mornings, my eyes snapped open before the sun was even up. I felt around the night stand for my Blackberry to check the time, 6 a.m. Emmett always says that old adage, "no rest for the wicked," is really about me. I've been unable to sleep for more than a few hours a night since sometime in college, which suits me just fine. There are a finite number of hours, no, _minutes_ in a day, and I simply had too much to do to waste time sleeping. Today was no exception.

I lay there, with my hands clasped across my stomach, twirling my thumbs carefully, planning my schedule for the day. Top priority was figuring out how to coax Bella out of the safety of Charlie's house and get her here with us. Whether against her will or coming along quietly, she was coming to this house.

When Jasper finally whisked me off to bed this early this morning, Edward hadn't made it back from taking Bella home after the mixer. I can only assume that's a good sign and our girl didn't put up much of a fight. Or maybe she did. _I'll ask Edward._ I flung back the covers and carefully crept out of bed.

As I tip toed down the hall to his bedroom, I was hopeful I would find an empty, still made bed. It was completely against Bella's character to jump into bed with him, but a girl had to hope. We _are _talking Edward and Bella, so anything is possible. I grasped the door knob tightly and turned it with my left hand and put my right hand flat against the door slowly pushing it open just enough to peek in. _Shoot!_ Edward was all tucked in under the gold coverlet, sleeping soundly. I was getting ready to step in to start the inquisition, but then I stopped myself. I knew I'd only gotten 3 hours of sleep at best, so I decided against waking him for the details. For now. I giggled quietly to myself when I saw the clothes he'd worn the night before, neatly folded on the black leather couch with his shoes meticulously lined up side by side next to it. _Typical._ I stepped back into the hallway and closed the door quietly.

I padded down the hallway to the guest room and back to a sleeping Jasper, plotting my next move. I crawled back into bed and sat cross legged against the headboard. _Think, Alice. Think. _

I could call her to come over, but she doesn't have a car. The old red truck had gone to Chevy Heaven a long time ago, and Charlie would never let her have the Cruiser. I couldn't send Emmett. Evidently, he and Rosalie were really into this whole reunion thing, and there was no way I was going in that room. I could smell the sex from next door wafting through the vents. Besides, I think Emmett would rather rouse a sleeping grizzly bear than wake up Bella. Then, I decided what had to be done.

I'd need reinforcements and a car. Jasper shifted on his side next to me. I reached over and ran my fingers through his hair. I was twisting a blonde curl between my fingers, when I solved the problem. _Jasper has a car._

I quietly slid over to my most favorite gift the Universe had ever given me and pulled the covers back over me as I pressed my body against his back and followed the bends and curves of his position with my own. I was too short to spoon him properly, but I knew I wouldn't have to worry about that for much longer.

I delicately ran my hands slowly across his strong shoulders, just ahead of my lips, peppering his smooth skin with barely-there kisses. My right hand continued across his back and over his shoulder, resting on his well defined chest, and I hugged my body closer to his. He started to stir in front of me, and I let my hand travel from his chest, down across his tight stomach. I felt his muscles spasm underneath my touch, as he reached up and stopped my hand with his. I smiled against his back waiting for his response.

Jasper held my hand trapped against his body and turned over his shoulder without opening his eyes and asked hoarsely, "What time is it?"

"A little after six," I said, as I continued to kiss him.

"In the morning?!" he asked with a voice so sexy and heavy with sleep, that I wasn't sure I could control myself. "We only went to sleep three hours ago, Alice," He reminded me with a very sexy whine.

I slid my body up the length of his back and positioned my lips against his ear and whispered, "I can't sleep."

He shivered slightly as my tongue licked along his ear and replied, "But I _can_, Alice."

I freed the hand that he held against his stomach and moved it to his shoulder, pressing slightly to encourage him to roll over on his back, which he obliged. I nipped his ear lobe lightly between my teeth and said between kisses along his neck and shoulder, "The question…is…do you…want to?"

He still seemed moderately annoyed and not quite enjoying the way in which I decided to wake him up this morning. "Sleep?" he asked groggily. "Yes."

I slowly curled my right leg up and over his stomach, and rolled myself off the bed and on top of him, comfortably resting straddled across him, pressing my body against his chest. I continued the assault of kisses on his neck, now working on the other side, "are…you…sure?"

"Maybe," he said raggedly through closed eyes as he reached his arms around my back and began rubbing from my shoulders to my hips.

_This is going to be a piece of cake. _

I ran my hands on his chest and sat up and asked him sweetly, "Do you love me, Jasper?"

His eyes were still sealed shut, but a slight smile danced on his lips as he answered, "most definitely." His hands settled on my backside with his fingers delicately tracing the lacey pattern of my panties.

"Jasper, look at me," I said, as I traced my fingers on his chest. He obeyed immediately and opened them slowly, to which I offered a lovely smile. "How much do you love me?" I asked him.

He gripped my hips, shifted my position on his lap so I could feel his stiff erection under me, smiled broadly and said, "More than you'll ever know."

"Do you love me enough to put yourself in almost certain danger?" I said, as I was circling his nipples with such a light touch that it gave him goose bumps.

Jasper jerked his hands from my hips and sat up on his elbows with a trace of alarm in his eyes. "What have you done, Alice?"

"Nothing," I said innocently. "Not yet, anyway."

He flung his head back on his pillow and covered his face with his hands, and he whined, "No more secrets or surprises, Alice." He slapped his outstretched arms to his side and began to toss his head from left to right in protest. "I can't take any more!"

I bent down and snuggled into his chest, "No secrets or lies. I promise. It's more like…a mission."

"A mission," Jasper said flatly. "Sounds a whole lot worse than secrets and lies if you ask me. Do I even want to know what this 'mission' entails?"

I put my hands flat on top of each other in the middle of his chest and rested my chin on them so I could look at him, "It's easy in theory, really, but complicated in execution, I'm afraid."

He adjusted the pillow and laced his fingers behind his head, tilting his face in my direction with one eyebrow raised waiting for further explanation.

"It's Bella," I said with more than a glint of excitement in my voice. "We're going to kidnap her."

Jasper burst into laughter as he moved his hands again to my hips and carefully pushed me off his lap and on to the bed beside him. He reached for my pillow and planted it over his face to contain his howls, rolling side to side on the bed.

I sat beside him with my arms crossed.

He peeked out from under the pillow with a smile plastered over his entire face, but when he met my glare he pulled the pillow back down and muffled, "Oh God. You're serious."

I reached over and yanked the pillow off his face and placed it in my lap and confirmed that I was very serious "Very," I said. "She only THINKS she shouldn't be here, but I know better. I have to do the work her prudish nature won't allow."

Jasper turned on his side, resting his hand against his neck and chuckled, "The world would simply stop turning if you didn't interfere, wouldn't it?"

"As a matter of fact, I think it would," I said smugly.

"I'm sure you do," he said with a smile. "Why do you need me?"

"There's no doubt I'm the brains of this operation, but I need your big strong muscles in case she gives me any trouble," I winked at him and clucked my tongue between my teeth as I reached over and rubbed his strong, lean arm.

He stared at me, patiently waiting for the truth, "and…"

I rolled my eyes and admitted, "And I need you to come with me, because I'm not tall enough to reach the eave where Charlie keeps the house key."

"So my value in this operation is strictly limited to providing you the key to break in to the Police Chief's house and throwing Bella over my shoulder in case she puts up a fight?" he said grinning at me.

"Yep, that's about it," I chirped.

"I don't know, Alice," he said cautiously. "It makes me nervous. Waking Bella up is dangerous enough, but adding breaking and entering and actual kidnapping to the list makes it sound down right stupid."

"What if I give you your reward for your services and your bravery now?" I bargained with a smirk on my face as I reached over and traced a circle around his belly button and made a trail below it.

"A reward?" His eyes drew into a squint and the corners of his mouth lifted into a sexy smile. He pushed up on his hand and leaned into me, wrapping his left arm around my waist. He kissed me softly and whispered against my lips, "I would have done it for free, but since you're offering a reward…"

I threw the pillow in my lap aside, put my hands on his shoulders and pulled him on top of me as I lay back on the bed. He pressed his soft, warm lips against mine as he balanced himself carefully above me. We kissed deeply and passionately as our tongues twisted and turned together, and our hands roamed each other exploring freely. I ran my hands over his muscular backside and pulled him closer to me as I wiggled my hips beneath him. He groaned in my mouth, and then rolled on his back, pulling me over on top of him as he moved.

He reached up and held my face in his hands, and continued to kiss me with total abandon. I broke the kiss to catch my breath. Jasper tilted my chin upward and continued kissing my neck and collarbone, moving his hands down past my shoulders, brushing his fingers lightly along my ribs, to my hips and down my thighs, where he gathered the hem of my satin slip nightie gently in his hands. I sat up straddling him and allowed him to pull the small bit of satin over my head. Jasper tossed it carelessly to the floor and then reached up to hold my breasts in his hands. I put my hands over his, guiding his caress and moving my hips against him. I looked down at Jasper to find that he was biting his bottom lip, and his eyes were completely glazed over with desire for me.

Jasper sat up, crossing his legs, balancing me on his lap as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close to me. He circled his arms around me, rubbing my back and then gently made his way to my ass, pulling me closer to him as he captured my right breast in his warm mouth. I dropped my head back, arching my back to meet his touch. He moved his hands high on my back keeping me upright, and then he teased me with his tongue making my nipple hard. I dropped my face to cradle his head in my arms. I bent to kiss and nip at his neck. He moved his attention to my other breast gently nibbling and sucking. He pulled away slightly and blew his hot breath on me, which sent a tingle throughout my entire body. A slow moan escaped my lips in his ear.

My moan seemed to trigger a landslide of passion in both of us. Jasper cupped my butt and lifted me off his lap and laid me on my back in front of him. He moved his hands quickly and pulled me free of my lace panties before he settled between my legs. I reached for him, pulling his boxers down over his firm backside. Jasper balanced his weight on one arm while he tugged himself free from the last physical barrier between us.

Eagerly, I reached down and guided him, inviting him in, wrapping my legs around him so I could take him deeply and completely. I gasped with sheer pleasure as Jasper pressed slowly and fully into me. He captured my mouth with his and swallowed the sounds of our moans in his kiss. He thrust inside me with long and slow strokes pushing me to the brink of madness. I clutched at his back and his ass as I lifted my hips to meet his movements. Our eyes locked in the throws of passion and together we quickened our sprint towards another happy ending. Our hearts, minds and bodies were completely melded together as we reached the beautiful wave of ecstasy together.

Jasper's body collapsed gently on mine, with head nestling between my neck and my shoulder, his quick, warm breath rushing against my skin. I kissed along his shoulder and his neck, tenderly raking my fingertips across his back. I smiled against his shoulder, breathing heavily and asked, "So does this mean you'll help me?"

He shook with laughter and finally bent to my will, "Can we at least sleep for a little bit longer before you march me off to certain death? And take a nap later?"

_Just as I suspected. Piece. Of. Cake. _

I asked him knowingly, "Are you still nervous?"

He slid off of me and cradled me in his arms, "At this very moment? No."

Oh how I loved this man. Who else would ever be crazy enough to go along with all my schemes? Surely I could allow him a little nap before we went out on our mission.

"I'll wake you in an hour," I said as I reached up with my lips and kissed him on the cheek.

JPOV

I stood on Chief Swan's front porch behind Alice as she slid the hidden key into the lock and turned the knob. The door lurched out of her hand, and it jerked open. _I was frozen with fear. I can't __believe__ I let her talk me into this _

"Can I help you?!" Chief Charlie Swan stood in his doorway looking only slightly less authoritative and intimidating in his fishing get up than if he were in his uniform. He was clearly agitated, but once he saw Alice's unapologetic, angelic face smiling sweetly at him, the intensity faded.

"Hey, Charlie," Alice sang out as she breezed past Bella's dad and patted him playfully on the chest. "Jasper, put the key back for me, please." I carefully avoided the Chief's face as I took the key from the door knob and put it back where it belonged.

"Well, good morning to you, too, Alice," Charlie said with an amused tone to his voice.

"Hello, sir," I said nervously as I held out my hand to Chief Swan.

"Morning, son," he said as he shook my hand vigorously. "Come in, come in."

Alice flitted around in the kitchen, dropping her bag on the kitchen table and moved in the little living room as if this were her home. Charlie didn't seem very surprised by it. I smiled as I accepted his invitation and stepped inside.

"What are you two up to this morning?" he asked. "Bella isn't up yet, and I'm getting ready to go fishing, so if there is anything I can do for you..."

"Nope, we're fine. We're kidnapping Bella and taking her with us for the rest of the weekend," Alice said frankly.

My face must have gone white as a sheet as I felt every ounce of blood drain from it. My eyes were huge and fixed on Alice, amazed at the honesty that was spilling from her mouth. I was thankful when Charlie started laughing.

"You're going to wake her up and then kidnap her?" he said with his hands on his hips, shaking his head as he snickered.

"Yep!" Alice said as she skipped up the stairs. She stopped on the landing, turned back to us with a hint of seriousness in her voice and pointed at me. "Jasper, if I'm not back down here in 20 minutes, come check on us. There's going to be a lot of screaming and possibly the throwing of things, but don't worry, I've endured worse."

I nodded and looked at Charlie who was still stifling his laughter.

"And, Charlie, have fun fishing!" she wished him well. She marched up the stairs and called out as she walked down the hallway. "I'll make sure we stop back by before we head back to Seattle."

Charlie and I both looked up at the ceiling waiting for the fireworks in the moment that Alice woke up Bella, and she realized that beautiful, little pixie was up to no good. It only took a few seconds, and then, all hell broke loose.

"Well, she's up now," Charlie said as he slapped me on the back and walked past me to the front door. He opened the door, gathered up his fishing poles and his tackle box and turned back to me with a grin. "Good luck, son. I hope whatever Alice has planned is worth all this."

I stared blankly back at Bella's dad and sighed, "Me, too, sir." I turned my head back to the stairs listening to all the commotion upstairs. "Me, too."

"You kids have fun!" he quipped as he banged his fishing poles through the doorway and shut the door.

I sat in Charlie's recliner, leaned back with my hands laced behind my head, staring at the ceiling. The battle upstairs raged on, but footsteps above me let me know that there was at least some movement now. I couldn't imagine what Alice was saying to Bella to convince her to come with us. I was hoping against hope my services would be limited to chauffeur in this whole gig, and I wouldn't have to physically take her out of this house. I closed my eyes and started to pray.

"JASPER!"

I must have drifted off to sleep, because I was startled and ripped out of the quiet of my own mind when Alice screamed from upstairs.

"Jasper!" she wailed. "Come up here and get Bella's bag, please."

I got up from the chair and started up the stairs where I met a decidedly annoyed Bella on the landing and eyed her apologetically, "Morning, Bella."

She seemed surprisingly calm, almost as if she wasn't really being taken against her will. She winked at me and patted me on the cheek as she walked past me and said, "Don't worry, Jasper, you're off the hook. I know this wasn't your idea."

Alice was waiting for me in Bella's room rubbing her hands together mischievously, dancing in circles, laughing like a demented, little sprite. She bounced right into my arms, wrapping her legs and her arms around me.

"You seem pretty pleased with yourself, dear," I said with a chuckle.

She pulled away from me slightly to look me in the eye and said, "I am, but we haven't yet crossed the point of no return. Until she is sitting around Esme's table and is settled in with all of us, I can't consider this mission a success."

I kissed her quickly, and she released her grip on me and stood in front of me, "whatever you say, Alice. I'm just glad this is almost over and I can go back to the house and take a nap."

She patted me on the butt as I moved to pick up Bella's suitcase. She danced out the door in front of me and down the stairs, springing on an unsuspecting Bella. "You won't regret this, Bella," she promised.

"Let's hope you're right," Bella sighed.

We all piled into the car and drove the 15 minutes to the Cullen's house. This whole 'mission' had gone much better than I expected. The girls chatted and fussed with each other while I thought about how Edward might react to Bella showing up unexpected. I imagine he'll want to shake my hand and buy me a beer.

APOV

Jasper parked the rental car just beside Emmett's jeep, and I hopped out of the car impatiently waiting for Bella to follow. She made some kind of lame attempt to help Jasper with her bag, but I grabbed her by the hand and dragged up the porch and through the door. I looked at my watch. It was 8:30 by the time we walked in the door.

It was still pretty early considering how late everyone had stayed up the night before, so I was caught off guard when we rounded the corner into the kitchen and found Edward and his precious little bed head perched on the counter top, pouring over the morning paper.

"OH!" I squealed and stopped dead in my tracks. I was towing Bella along behind me at such a pace that when I stopped, she knocked right into me.

"Jeez, Alice!" she whispered loudly.

Edward looked over the top of his paper at us grinning from ear to ear. "Morning, ladies," he chimed.

I turned back to Bella, put my hands on her shoulders and shoved her in front of me toward Edward, "Surprise!"

"Surprise," Bella said in a mocking, hushed tone.

I was shocked when Bella strode confidently over to Edward, turning to look at Jasper over my shoulder with raised eyebrows and pursed lips.

She walked to the chop block island opposite him and leaned casually against the counter. "You said I should come over, I just didn't have any idea I'd be yanked from my warm bed and given no choice in the matter in order to take you up on the invitation."

"Semantics," Edward scoffed as he folded up the paper and rested his hands on the counter by his thighs. "As long as you're here and the torture wasn't too unbearable, the rest of it doesn't really matter."

Jasper came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, sneaking a kiss on my cheek, before he nestled his head on my shoulder. "Why don't we give them some space, Alice?" he whispered.

I patted one hand on his arms wrapped around me, and batted away his suggestion with the other, "I have waited 10 years to see them back together, and I just spent the morning plotting and executing a master plan to get her here," she whispered indignantly. "There is no way I'm going to leave now."

Edward reached out his hand to Bella, and she responded by giving him her hand and pushing off the counter and moving towards him. "I hope it wasn't too terrible," he said sarcastically.

"I'm used to it," Bella said as she comfortably nestled her body in between Edward's knees. They laced their fingers together, and stared all starry eyed at one another. He leaned forward and kissed her sweetly.

"Aww. Look, Jasper," I cooed.

Jasper covered my mouth and slowly backed us out of the room. Once we were out of the kitchen he scooped me up in his arms and took me upstairs. "Not another word, Alice. Your job here is done," he teased.

"But - " I protested.

His lips consumed my argument and after a moment, I couldn't have cared less. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me down the hallway to our bedroom,

"Mr. Hale, you surprise me," I said breathlessly.

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself there Alice," he said with a sly smile. "When we negotiated this deal, you promised me a nap."

"Damn." Disappointment colored my tone as he put me down beside the bed, and he crawled in.

"Join me?" he asked as he smiled at me and held open his arms for me to snuggle up next to him.

The activities of the morning had really knocked me out. Bella had put up much more of a fight than I expected. I didn't think I could fall asleep, but I could think of a lot worse things than lying in Jasper's arms all day. I kicked off my shoes and cuddled up next to him. _Mission accomplished. _

**I know so many of you were looking forward to reading more about Edward and Bella and MOST of you were hoping for a little Emmett love, but I have to keep you guessing, don't I? I love reading your comments so please let me know what you think! **

**For all of you looking for smart and well written fanfics with a focus on Twilight please be sure to check out **_**psymom's**_** new place. www (dot) twilighted (dot) net. **


	10. Mercy

**A/N: It seems everyone has a special affection for morning Edward and his bed head. I think I inadvertently sparked quite a fire with that image from the last chapter, especially amongst my friends over at Twilighed(dot)net. This chapter was completely unplanned, but how could I resist from teasing you further with more of the shmexy?? As always thanks so much for the comments. This chapter is a testament to how important your reviews are to me – I wrote 3,500 words based solely on your comments! **

**I recently found some great new music from a Brit named, Duffy. I am completely in love with the ENTIRE CD so of course I was super excited to be able to use something from her for this chapter. The song is **_**"Mercy,"**_** by Duffy and I've got a link to the audio on my bio page. **

**To my friend Tigress5 you've got more strength than you know. Thanks for the bang on beta read! xoxo**

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to the genius that is Stephenie Meyer, but I'm gladly borrowing from that genius for my own selfish enjoyment. **_

BPOV

Alice was moving at such a clip, that she was literally dragging me behind her. She stopped suddenly when we reached the kitchen, and true to form, I ran smack into her almost knocking us both to the floor. "Jeez, Alice!"

At first I didn't see what had stopped her dead in her tracks, but then I heard that familiar, delicious voice murmur, "Morning, ladies."

What I saw when I looked over the top of Alice's spiky hair took my breath away. Edward was barefoot and wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans, sitting on Esme's kitchen counter, and reading the morning paper. He barely looked over the top of the paper when he acknowledged us, but it was enough for me to see his sparkling green eyes smiling at us and that every single copper hair on his head was perfectly tousled from sleep. My heart fluttered like mad in my chest, but it wasn't from fear or uncertainty; it was simply because I had never seen anything, much less any_one,_ so sexy in my entire life.

I was barely aware of Alice as she began knocking me about, but then she suddenly shoved me in Edward's direction. "Surprise!" she squealed.

"Surprise," I said, quietly mocking Alice's tone as I raised my eyebrows and grinned at him. He smiled back at me, and I was honestly shocked when I felt my feet moving underneath me, almost as if I was being pulled by some invisible force towards him like he was a magnet. I leaned against the chop block island directly across from him and said, "you said I should come over, I just didn't have any idea I'd be yanked from my warm bed and given no choice in the matter in order to take you up on the invitation."

"Semantics," Edward scoffed. He folded up his paper and put it down on the counter beside him, and then shifted his body slightly forward as he leaned on his hands that were firmly planted along side of his thighs. I watched as his biceps flexed just below the sleeve of his t-shirt as he pressed on the countertop. "As long as you're here and the torture wasn't too unbearable, the rest of it doesn't really matter. I hope it wasn't too terrible."

I could hear Jasper and Alice whispering behind me, but I couldn't be bothered with what they were saying as Edward reached out his hand to me. I gave him my right hand and pushed off the chop block with my hip and my left hand, moving towards him. I was quickly losing control. My eyes were taking in every amazing inch of him, from his bare feet to his muscular legs, and up to his ripped stomach and flexed arms that were barely hidden by his tight, white t-shirt. I drowsily drifted past his dangerously pouty lips and bright eyes, the stubble on his perfectly angled jaw and the glorious beauty of the bed head. When I looked at him now there were hints of the boy I had loved, but I the man that was inviting me in now made me weak in the knees.

"I'm used to it," I said casually as I let him pull me closer. He took my left hand in his now, as he threaded his fingers with mine, pulling our hands up so that our forearms were touching. There was a tickle in my stomach when I looked at him, and a physical pull that tugged me towards him. Almost involuntarily, I moved my body between his knees and our eyes locked in a playful gaze. Edward kissed me softly on the lips, and I felt sparks.

I had to gain control. I pulled back slightly to look at him, still twisting my fingers with his and asked, "did you know anything about Alice's little kidnapping plot?"

Edward wrinkled his brow and laughed, "is _that_ why you're here? She kidnapped you?"

"Oh, yeah. There was a full scale assault at 7:30 this morning at Charlie's house."

He was almost beside himself now as he choked, "she's definitely upped her game from the old days, huh?"

"You go on and laugh, Edward Cullen," I warned, as I took my hands from his and crossed my chest with my arms. I needed to put a little distance between us if I was going to maintain any kind of control. I turned to look over my shoulder at Alice, but she and Jasper were gone. "Now that you're officially back in the fold, it's simply a matter of time before you're on the receiving end of one of her little schemes. Let's see who's laughing then."

Edward put his hand on my hips and playfully shook my frame as he continued to laugh, "you're probably right. But was it really that bad? I mean, whatever it was she did, got you here."

"I was really pissed about being woken up. But between you and me, the rest of the ranting and raving was all for her benefit," I said with a wink.

"I wish I had been there to see the whole show," he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I bet you do," I said as moved my hands to his biceps and tried to settle calmly in his embrace. "You have to be as tired as I am. Why are you up so early?" My eyes drifted up to his hair and then back to his face. _Keep it together, Bella. It's just hair. But it's __so__ cute._

"My body thinks I'm still in London, and it's 5:45 in the afternoon," he explained. "I am tired, but I'll catch up in a couple of days."

"Maybe you can take a nap later?" I suggested.

Edward tickled my waist and teased, "are propositioning me, Bella?"

"Edward," I cautioned him, as I looked at him sideways and squirmed in his arms, desperate to put some kind of safe distance between us. _It's just hair._

He held me close, but gave me enough room for my protest and smirked, "What? We're dating, aren't we?"

My heart was racing wildly in my chest. He was everything I wanted, and last night he laid everything on the table. It was cruel for me to play this game with him. I'd been so cynical for so long that I wasn't sure how to shake it. And how in the hell was I supposed to take this slow when he was sitting there with his ridiculously messy hair, his bare feet and that perfectly fit t-shirt looking so delicious? I wanted to braid my fingers through his hair, crawl up in his lap and beg him to take me to his bed. _This dating thing with Edward was going to be a very difficult exercise in self control._ I muttered quietly, almost to myself.

"We ARE dating, right?" his asked again, as his face twisted up a little and his eyes searched mine. I couldn't stand to see the question in his eyes.

"Yes, we're dating, but there will be no napping." I looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "Not today, anyway. We're going to take this slow, remember?"

Edward sighed and dropped his head to my shoulder in defeat.

_It's just hair._ He had no idea what kind of torture he'd presented when he dropped his head so I could actually touch it without giving myself away. He nuzzled his head against my shoulder, and I felt a tickle when his hair brushed against my cheek. I slid my hands up his arms and shoulder and tentatively made my way to the nape of his neck. _Screw it!_ I spread my hands open wide and ran them gently but fully through the copper strands from his neck to his temples. Edward moaned quietly against my neck and began kissing me against the crook of my neck. _Oh, God. What have I started?_

He slowly and deliberately continued to kiss along my neck and up to my chin, then along my jaw to my ear and whispered, "Is this slow enough, for you?"

Fire spread throughout my body all the way to my fingers and toes as his velvet voice drifted through my foggy head, and his lips slowly brushed against my ear. I was desperate to gain control, but it seemed I was just as desperate for Edward. I knotted my fingers in the hair at the crown of his head and arched my body against his. "Please," I said with ragged breath. I meant to beg for mercy, but only part of my plea escaped my lips. A Freudian slip, or was I so consumed by the moment that I literally couldn't speak? _Can't. Speak. _

I felt him smile against my face as the tip of his nose and his mouth brushed the length of my cheek to my lips, where he tenderly planted his lips on mine. I continued to twist his hair in my fingers as he placed kiss after soft kiss on my mouth, barely moving away from the last before he touched my lips again. He slowly crossed his ankles behind me and pulled me closer.

"Well, lookie here!" Emmett bellowed from across the room. "Woo hoo!!"

Edward slowly looked up at him over my head, scowling at him, "Has anyone ever told you that you are a miserable shit?"

I untangled my hands from his perfect hair and rested them and my head against Edward's chest. I put my fingers to my lips, turned my head towards Emmett and tried to hide behind a shy smile. Edward released his ankles from around my backside and rubbed his hands up and down my back

"You're the first, but it's still early," he chuckled as he made his way to the fridge. Emmett stood holding the fridge door open, wearing only his boxers and socks, rooting around for the orange juice. He shut the door and turned back to us, grinning widely as he started twisting off the lid. "I'm sure I'll be called worse as the day wears on."

"You better get a glass there, big boy, Esme will have your ass if she catches you drinking out of the carton," Edward warned him.

"She most certainly will," Esme sang out as she joined us in the kitchen.

"Yes, ma'am," Emmett obeyed and opened the cupboard for a glass.

"Morning, Mom," Edward called out sweetly.

"Never mind, you, who is that you've got buried under there?"

"Hi, Esme," I said quietly as I embarrassingly unwrapped myself from her son's arms and with one step turned from in between his knees and stood beside him. Edward slid one hand over my shoulder and leaned back on the counter with the other.

Esme Cullen was as quick and lively as I had always remembered. She was wearing a cute Tiffany blue, lightweight sweater set, khaki Capri pants and little strappy sandals. She shooed Emmett out of the way and scurried over to me and Edward. She patted Edward on the shoulder as she passed him, "Good morning, my precious son."

"Uh, – Mom!" he whined at being essentially ignored.

"Oh hush up, Edward. Don't be such a baby," she chided. Esme held out her arms and wrapped me in the kind of only-a-mom kind of way and rocked me gently from side to side. "Sweet Bella! I'm so glad you're finally here."

"Me too, Esme," I said as I looked over her shoulder to look at Edward. She had no idea how glad I was to finally be here. Here in this house, here with my friends, and most importantly, here with Edward.

That amazing, crooked smile spread across his face when our eyes met, and he mouthed the words, "me too," at me. His hair had been so sexy just a few minutes ago, and now due in large part to my lack of control, it just looked crazy and on end. While I was still hugging Esme, I reached up and ran my hand across the top of his head a couple of times, and then with my finger traced the stray hairs across his forehead. I gave up trying to tame the mess, and I closed my eyes and tried desperately to smother the impending giggle fit.

"What's so funny?" Esme asked. She kept one arm wrapped around my shoulder and spun around to look at Edward. She let out a quick laugh and reached up and tousled his hair. "Don't you own a brush, child?"

He quickly lifted both hands and ran them through his hair self consciously. I was stunned and giggled harder as if I thought for one minute it was possible for Edward Cullen to be even remotely self conscious. He shrugged his shoulders slightly and leaned back on the counter, swinging his feet.

Emmett burst into laughter across the kitchen.

"What are you laughing at, mister? Walking around my kitchen in your underwear? You march yourself upstairs right this instant and get dressed! I can't have you running around MORE than half naked with these girls in the house," Esme fussed at him.

He looked down at himself, and then back at her. "All my nibbly bits are covered, Esme, its no big deal. Bella and Alice see me like this all the time, and I honestly don't think Rosalie would complain," he tried to explain.

Emmett's eyes went wide, he slammed down his glass on the counter and then he turned with a huge smile on his face. Edward and I laughed, as Esme lunged after him, chasing him out of the kitchen. He took the stairs two at a time and ran down the hall to his room, slamming the door. We laughed even harder when we heard Rosalie scream.

Esme walked back in the kitchen and asked, "Bella honey, are those your bags by the stairs?"

Edward straightened up and looked excitedly at me, "bags?"

"Kidnapped, remember?" I said with my eyebrows raised and a silly grin on my face.

He jumped down off the counter, "you're staying!? I just thought they dragged you here for breakfast or for the day. I didn't realize you were staying!"

"Kidnapped? Who kidnapped you, honey?" Esme asked as she started banging around the kitchen, putting away Emmett's juice and glass, and making coffee.

"Alice did." I quickly acknowledged Esme. Then I smiled and looked into Edward's blazing, green eyes and whispered, "surprise."

He took my hand in his, brought it to his lips kissing my fingers softly, and said, "that's a pretty great surprise."

"How did she manage that?" Esme said as she sat down at the kitchen table and started shuffling through the paper.

"How does Alice manage any of her little stunts, Mother? She just does it," Edward chuckled. Just then Alice skipped into the room. "Speak of the devil!"

"Oh please, Edward. Don't you dare pretend like you don't enjoy my little stunts, like you aren't already reaping the benefits of my most recent little stunt." Alice snapped her fingers, flicked her hand at him and scoffed as she danced over to kiss Esme. "Morning, Esme!"

Esme kissed Alice on the cheek and patted her on the back, "hello, sweetheart. Is this true? Did you really kidnap Bella?"

"Look at me, I'm 4 foot nothing and weigh 90 pounds. Who could I kidnap?" she asked innocently as she went straight to the cupboard and got a coffee cup. She poured herself a cup of coffee, stirred in 2 heaping spoonfuls of sugar and shot me a smarmy look over the top of her cup as she took a sip. "Besides, you can't kidnap the willing."

"Hey!" I protested and joined Alice by the coffee.

She reached back into the cupboard and got a cup for me, "What? I speak the truth. You were only really difficult when I woke you up." Alice poured me a cup of coffee, while I rummaged through the fridge to find the half and half. "You didn't even seem to mind it when I told you we were going shopping today."

She was right. I didn't put up much of a fight, but I sure thought I had put on a better show of it. I leaned against the counter behind me and looked through the doorway just in time to see Edward lugging my suitcase upstairs. I watched him go up the stairs and turn to the right. It had been a long time since I'd been in this house, but I was quietly calculating the number of bedrooms and counting up all the guests. My heart caught in my chest when I realized that there was only enough room for everyone if we all paired up. Edward and I would be sharing his room.

I'm not sure why that crept up on me the way it did. We had spent the night together hundreds of times when we were kids, but we all usually bunked on the floor in the living room. _Don't fool yourself, Bella._ _We're not kids anymore and that man could very well be your undoing._ This was a brand new level of want and need that made our teenage romance seem like, well…like we were teenagers. I felt like we were on the verge of something real. I wasn't scared anymore, but I still needed to take my time with it. I wasn't willing to rush anything, but for the first time since Emmett and Alice told about this whole reunion, I was excited and hopeful.

Rosalie walked into the room and dropped her bag on the counter. She crossed the kitchen briskly, kissed Esme on the head and yawned, "morning."

"Morning, dear," Esme chirped without looking up from the paper.

Her hair was pulled back into a sleek pony tail, and she was wearing trendy, white frame sunglasses, high heels, jeans and a hoodie. She walked over to us and collapsed, leaning on the counter beside me and Alice, taking the coffee from my hand. She took a quick sip, pushed her glasses up on her head and sighed, "I need a Starbucks or a Daz Bog in the worst kind of way."

"Esme?" Alice called. "Do you know if they have any high end or upscale boutiques in Port Angeles?"

"Sure. What are you girls shopping for?"

Rosalie cleared her throat and spoke her truth. "Since I thought we were coming to Forks for my Gran's party, I didn't necessarily pack the right kind of clothes for the reunion tonight. I've got to find something to wear."

Esme gave Alice the name of a couple of shops, but I was barely listening. Edward was making his way back down the stairs now, and my eyes were fixed in his direction. He was still barefoot, still wearing the white t-shirt and jeans, but every hair on his head was perfectly in place, which made me smile. He caught me staring at him as he hit the last two steps and made his way to the kitchen. He breezed past us girls, winking at me as he reached behind Alice for a coffee cup. He filled his cup and then reached across me to rub my arm and kissed my temple before he joined Esme at the table to finish reading the paper.

The girls were still talking shopping and directions when Emmett came bounding down the stairs, fully dressed much to Esme's delight. "There's my handsome nephew!" she squealed and clapped her little hands.

"I'll say," Rosalie grumbled under her breath as she nudged me with her shoulder.

Armed with a mental list of shops and directions, Alice chugged down the last of her coffee and headed across the kitchen encouraging Rosalie and I to get a move on, "so, shall we go?"

Rosalie took one more sip from my coffee cup, and then handed an almost empty cup back to me. She took my hand and towed me across the room. I took one last draw on the coffee and then dropped my cup in the sink as we passed. Rosalie stopped in front of Emmett and gave him a quick kiss and a pinch on the butt. He flinched a little, but a broad smile spread across his entire face.

I laughed as I passed Emmett, and he smacked me hard on the butt. "OW!" I yelled and rubbed my stinging tush before I punched him playfully in the arm. "Jackass! Oops! Sorry, Esme!"

"It's okay, dear. He _is_ a jackass," she chirped back at me. "You girls have fun!"

We were through the front door and almost off the front porch when Edward stopped me.

"Hey," he said as he reached for my hand.

Rosalie and Alice paused at the bottom of the steps for a minute to giggle, and then they traipsed across the lawn to the little red rental car.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm really glad you're here and that you're going to be staying with me."

"Me, too," I whispered as he bent down and kissed me on the lips.

"Have fun with the girls," he said as kissed me again. "Be safe."

I put my hands on his shoulders, rose up on my toes and kissed him full on the lips. He snaked his arms around my waist pulling me close to his body.

Alice and Rosalie had pulled the car out of the parking spot beneath the big shade tree and were whooping and whistling at us with the stereo blaring. We just looked at each other and then laughed. "See you later," I said as I skipped down the steps.

Rosalie had shimmied her way out of the passenger window and was now yelling at me as I walked to the car. "Bella!! Hurry up!" She was sitting on the door when she yanked her zipper down and pulled her hoodie apart flashing her shiny red bra at me and an unsuspecting Edward who was still looking after us from the porch. Alice cackled in the driver's seat next to her, and I giggled, looking back at Edward over my shoulder. He slapped his hand across his eyes and waved blindly back at us. I climbed in the back seat, Rosalie slinked herself back inside the car, and we were on our way to a full day of shopping. It had been such a long time since the three of us had spent time together like this. Even as tired as I was, I was happy to have the girl time. As Alice barreled down the private road, I turned and glanced out the back window, watching Edward as we drove away. The whole weekend had changed now, and I couldn't be happier. _Maybe when we get home, I'll find Edward and take a nap. _

**The big reunion shin dig is coming up next!! Emmett in a suit, Bella in high heels and a DJ with a playlist full of bad 90's music. Thanks so much for reading…and don't forget to leave a comment! **


	11. UnBreak My Heart

_**A/N: Sorry the update was so long in the making and since you were all so patient, I offer you a super long chapter to ease your pain and suffering. **_

_**Thank you so much for your thoughtful and encouraging comments. It's so nice to know people are enjoying what I'm doing here and that you're invested in the story. I really appreciate that you're reading and that you take the time to leave your reviews. **_

_**Since this is the reunion chapter and the DJ (yes, that's you doreansmamma) is playing bad 90's music, the song for this chapter is from 1994 and is on DJ Doom's playlist. "Un-Break My Heart," by Toni Braxton is the namesake for this chapter and I have a video link up on my bio page. Even if you know the song, if you haven't heard it in a while or if you haven't seen the video you should definitely check it out. Tyson Beckford is pretty dreamy in it. **_

**_Tigress_**_** – you are my super beta!! **_

_**Disclaimer: Everything I borrowed from the Twilight Universe, I do with complete love and affection and no intention to offend. Thanks Stephenie!!**_

EPOV

It had been a great day, with the promise of only getting better. Bella had been unceremoniously delivered at my doorstep courtesy of Alice, I had finally confirmed arrangements with the Volvo salesman regarding the delivery of my new car, and I'd narrowed down the long list of properties in Seattle with my real estate agent to the top three. The plans for my future and my new life were all falling into place. I stayed plugged in to email and the internet for most of the day so I felt like I had gotten a lot done. I had time to run some errands, and then Emmett, Jasper and I helped Mom with odd jobs around the house while we waited for the girls to get home. I followed Bella's advice and took a nap. A few hours later, I woke up to the muted sound of Madonna swirling throughout the house and found a note resting on the pillow beside me.

_Hi, handsome! Hope you had a good nap (I was almost tempted to join you). I'm with the girls in Alice's room getting ready. Meet me downstairs at 8:00. B_

I read the note and then put the paper to my lips thinking of Bella. I smiled as I imagined that the girls were likely dancing and singing down the hall in Alice's room while they got ready. I turned over and looked at the clock, flung the covers back and went straight to the bathroom for a shower. I had 45 minutes to get ready and get something to eat.

I showered quickly, wrapped a towel around my waist and then stood in front of the mirror wiping away the fog. My stomach was a little knotted up. Either I was hungrier than I thought, or I might have to actually admit that I was a little nervous about tonight. I was less anxious than last night, but it had been less than 24 hours since Bella and I first saw each other, and there had only been a handful of kisses between us, so there was still plenty of anxiety.

I shaved my stubbly face, ran my fingers and a little dab of gel through my damp hair and was in the middle of brushing my teeth when Emmett stormed into my bedroom and slammed the door. He was all red in the face, and cursing about his tie when he bounded into the bathroom. "Stupid…fucking…GAH!" he mumbled.

I choked on a mouthful of toothpaste trying to stifle my laughter, which only seemed to fuel his hatred of the thing even more. The string of curse words became more colorful and more enunciated, and then he stripped the thin, silk tie from his collar so quickly that the tail of it smacked him in the face before it slipped free. "Mother fucker," he growled through gritted teeth as he choked the thin piece of fabric in his hand.

Unable to contain either the laughter or the toothpaste any longer, I leaned over the sink and opened my mouth letting both flow out freely. I gripped my toothbrush in one hand and the edge of the sink with the other and just howled. Emmett, however, wasn't laughing. I rinsed my mouth and my toothbrush and did my best to gain my composure. I stood upright, with my lips pressed tightly between my teeth ready to help him. I just couldn't keep it together, and a new burst of laughter broke through.

Emmett clutched the piece of light blue silk in his fist and shook it in my direction asking, "are you going to just stand there laughing at me, or are you going to help me with this damn thing?"

"Give it here," I said with a chuckle and slid the tie from is grip.

"How is it that you know how to do _every_thing?" Emmett whined.

I was still laughing at him when I put his tie around my neck and began wrapping the silk over and around itself, making the perfect Windsor knot. "It's a gift."

He moved behind me, peeking over my shoulder and studying me in the mirror as I finished up his tie. I was cinching the knot up the silk tail, when he clapped me on the back with his hand and a huge smile spread across his face. "That's one helluva look there, Edward. I think you should just skip the suit and just wear the towel and my tie."

He was right; I looked pretty ridiculous. I laughed at myself as I loosened the knot from my neck a little, lifted the tie over my head. handed it over to Emmett, and said, "here you go. Now get out so I can finish getting ready."

"Just give me a minute," Emmett said as he stood in front of the mirror and yanked the silk noose over his head. He flipped up his collar and tucked the tie into place. As he slid the knot up to his neck, he said proudly, "that's what I'm talkin' about."

I left Emmett admiring himself and his tie in the bathroom and went to my closet to get dressed. I pulled out my dark blue pinstripe suit, a crisp white dress shirt and a deep crimson tie and laid them on my bed. I glanced over at the clock. _Ten minutes until I meet Bella._

Emmett yelled from the bathroom as I was getting dressed, "How's it going with Bella? You guys have a chance to talk last night?"

I dropped the towel, yanked on a pair of boxers and then pulled on my pants. "Yeah, we did."

"And?" he asked as he switched off the light in the bathroom and walked into my bedroom. He hopped up on my bed and stretched out on his side, leaning on his elbow.

"And I told her I was moving back to Seattle, and that I wanted to be with her."

"AND?" he asked again.

I walked from the closet to the foot of the bed, pulled on my shirt and tucked it in. "And so, we're dating."

"You're a wealth of information my friend, you know that?" Emmett complained. "Did she cry?"

"You're acting like such a girl with all these questions, Emmett. I expected this inquisition from Alice, not you! But yeah, she did cry. I'm pretty sure they were good tears though," I offered trying to keep the great protector at bay. I moved to stand in the full length mirror on the inside of my closet door to tie my tie. "At least, I hope they were good tears."

"Don't bust my nuts, Edward. I told you I was going to look out for her," he said, reminding me of our conversation just yesterday. "You guys looked pretty into each other this morning in the kitchen."

"Mmm hmm. Oh, and by the way, thanks for that, Em. You busted up a really good kiss," I said as I peeked around the open closet door and shot him a dark look as I kept fidgeting with my tie.

"Dude, I had no idea I'd be busting up anything! I would have never guessed she'd be here, much less all snarled up with you like that," he said excitedly as he rolled off the edge of the bed and walked over to the closet.

I picked up my dress shoes and a pair of socks, and I went back to the couch, sitting down to put them on. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say it's been a long time since I've seen Bella smile like she does when she's with you," he explained with a wink. "It's all good."

"It is good, Em. It just feels right."

"So what's next for you two?" he asked with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"The only thing we've talked about and agreed upon is that we're dating. That's as far as we got," I said as I stood up from the couch, smoothed out my pants and shirt and then went to pick up my suit jacket.

"That's cool, man."

"Yes, it is," I said as I brushed passed him heading for the stairs. Madonna was still pulsing throughout the house from Alice's room. Just behind the music I could hear their muted voices and giggles and smiled. "So what about you and Rosalie? She looks amazing."

Emmett bounced down the stairs behind me, following me into the kitchen. "You got that right! She's awesome! And she is _still_ the coolest chick I've ever met," he gushed as he leaned up against the counter beside the refrigerator.

I draped my suit jacket over a chair, went to the fridge and pulled out a bowl full of grapes to snack on, offering some to Emmett. "Any sparks?" I asked.

"Oh, hell yeah! More than just sparks, man…It's a full scale, five alarm fire with Rosalie," his said as his eyes burned, and he shifted his position against the counter top. He shook his head from side to side, took a handful of grapes and popped them one at a time in his mouth. "I don't want this weekend to end."

"You and me both," I said. I completely understood what Emmett was saying. This weekend in Forks felt like we were all in this perfect little bubble. As if all time and distance had fallen away, and we were given this great chance to repair and restore not only our selves but our splintered relationships. I looked at Emmett with his hands pressed on the countertop behind him and his head tilted back leaning against the cabinets, and I immediately felt bad for him. At least Bella and I were going to have time together in Seattle after all of this. We had time to get to know each other again, time to figure out what each of us wants, and time for us to build a relationship. But for Emmett and Rosalie, there was no promise of time. The reality was that she lived in L.A., and at some point he'd have to tell her goodbye…again.

Jasper whistled at us as he walked into the kitchen, "Damn, Emmett! You clean up good!"

Mom and Dad followed behind him. "Wow! Just a few hours ago, you guys looked like a bunch of hoodlums," Dad said as he walked through the threshold and slugged Jasper in the arm.

"Look at all my handsome boys!" Mom gushed.

"I feel like this stupid tie is strangling me," Emmett complained as he reached up and shifted the Windsor knot back and forth against his neck.

Jasper chuckled as he adjusted his own tie and smoothed out the front of his shirt, "I feel you, my brother."

"Why are you all hanging out in the kitchen?" Dad asked as he sidled up to me and dug in to the bowl of grapes.

"Honey, they're waiting on the girls," Mom explained to Dad.

All three of us perked up when we heard Madonna abruptly shut off upstairs.

"Guess that's our cue," I said as picked up the bowl of grapes and returned them to the fridge. I opened the bottom crisper drawer and pulled out the clear plastic box that I'd hidden earlier in the day and then shut the refrigerator door. I put the little box down on the counter while I put on my jacket. I kept the little box hidden behind my back as I made my way to where Jasper and Emmett stood at the bottom of the stairs.

My mother grabbed her camera from the junk drawer, and rushed out of the room. Armed and dangerous, she squealed, "this is so exciting!"

Rosalie and Alice showed up giggling at the top of the stairs first. They looked incredible. Rosalie had on a black, tight fitting dress that hugged every curve of her body, which of course affected Emmett in such a way that it looked as if he was going to jump out of his skin. She took the stairs with a seductive stride that made even me blush. Alice, on the other hand, was dancing down the stairs to a mesmerized Jasper, wearing a shockingly pink dress that was covered in tiny little prism like sparkles. When she reached the bottom step she launched herself into Jasper's open arms. He spun her around once and kissed her before he put her feet back down on the ground. Random flashes of light bounced around the room as Mom took pictures. I looked between my friends, completely struck by the electricity that now filled the room. I turned my gaze to the top of the stairs to find Bella, my beautiful Bella standing there smiling back at me.

She paused for a moment, teetering on her pretty high heel shoes as she gripped the banister before she started down the stairs. Again, there was a flash. Bella was stunning. She was wearing a dress that was so dark blue it looked as if it might be black. Thin straps of fabric draped over her collarbone and wrapped behind her neck, and a daring décolletage that exposed her creamy porcelain skin. The stiff fabric was cinched tightly by a thin fabric bow just under her breasts and the flared skirt rustled when she moved. She was lovely. _Flash!_ I watched with a slack jaw as she carefully took the stairs.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, I held out my hand to her and whispered, "You look incredible." _Flash!_

"Thanks. So do you." Bella looked up at me through her eyelashes and smiled sweetly as she gave me one hand while keeping the other hand firmly gripping the railing. She sighed with relief as she stepped off the last step and onto the marble of the entry way. "Thank GOD I made it down those stairs without killing myself!" she sighed.

"I will never understand why you have such a hard time wearing real shoes," Alice chided.

"These are not real shoes, Alice. These are the stuff of nightmares and with my history, a possible trip to the ER."

I held out my arm and twirled her slowly, which made her skirt flutter noisily and raised the hemline slightly. _Flash!_ Even though she expressed her fear, the shoes really made her legs look amazing and her posture so confident and strong. I had a hard time catching my breath.

"No ER tonight, Bella," Emmett assured her.

"Don't you worry about those shoes for one minute, Bella. I'm sure Edward will do everything within his power to keep you on your feet tonight, or better yet, _off_ your feet if you're so inclined," Rosalie teased with a wink and a smile as she playfully ran her fingers over Emmett's broad shoulders.

"Rosalie!" Jasper said through gritted teeth just before everyone exploded with laughter at Rosalie's charged comment.

I glanced at Bella who was also laughing quietly. I caught her just in time to see the blush creep across her cheeks as she raised her free hand to cover her face. She turned and nuzzled her face into my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her and ran my hand up and down her arm and shook my head at Rosalie. _Flash!_

Bella snaked her arm around my waist and her finger tips brushed against the edge of the plastic container I was holding behind my back. She reflexively moved her hand away from the object and peaked around my shoulder and asked, "what do you have back there?"

When I moved my hand from behind my back and showed her the little clear box, Emmett and Jasper shifted on their feet and groaned in unison. Bella brought her fingers to her lips and looked up at me with a look of complete surprise and affection. _Flash!_

"I wasn't around 10 years ago to take you to our Senior Prom, so I guess I thought this was kind of the next best thing," I explained as I opened the box and took out the delicate wrist corsage of white orchids, placing the empty box on the entry way table. I turned back to Bella and took the hand that she held tentatively at her mouth, and placed the delicate flowers on her equally delicate wrist. _Flash!_

Bella looked down at the flowers and then turned her eyes to mine before she threw her arms around my neck. With her cheek pressed firmly against mine, she quietly said, "thank you, Edward. It's beautiful."

"Awww!" Mom, Alice and Rosalie cooed collectively.

Mom only paused for a moment before she started ordering us around, "Picture time! You boys come over here by the stairs and line up together."

"You _do_ know how to do everything! Dammit!" Emmett whined and shuffled his feet as Mom started man handling him in position for photos. "You even know how to _date_ better than everybody else!"

"I feel so inadequate," Jasper chuckled as he moved in line with Emmett.

"It's our first weekend together out with the girls and you're already making us look like shmucks!" Emmett complained.

Bella released her arms from around my neck and moved to stand with Alice and Rosalie. I walked over to where my mother had instructed, shrugged my shoulders slightly, lifted a cocky eyebrow and asked defensively, "do you two really not understand flower power when you're trying to impress a girl? It's not my fault you are complete failures when it comes to romance. "

"Asshole," Emmett grumbled.

"Show off," Jasper added to the insult.

"Smile!" my mother squealed.

_Flash!_

BPOV

"Let me see that," Alice said as she grabbed my wrist and turned it in her hand. "Bella, it's so pretty! Leave it to Edward to think of something like this. Such a simple gesture, but oh so romantic! Are you dying? You're dying, aren't you?"

I looked at her through the fog of the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes and whispered, "I'm dying." _Flash!_

"Oh shit, don't cry before pictures," she whispered in a panic as she yanked my purse off my shoulder, and started digging for the hankie she had insisted that I carry with me. She wrapped the little piece of cloth around the tip of her index finger and started wiping it gently around my eyes. "Please tell me you wore waterproof mascara?"

"She's emotional, Alice, not stupid," Rosalie shot back under her breath as she smiled at me trying to diffuse Alice's needling.

I took the hankie from Alice's hand and tried to nonchalantly dab the corners of my eyes. Rosalie rubbed small circles in the small of my back as I pulled myself together. I turned back to Alice for approval and she nodded her head that I was in fact tear free and that Edward would be none the wiser. "I'm fine." _Flash!_

"Okay girls, it's your turn," Esme chirped. "C'mon!"

We let Esme line us up, wrapped our arms around each other and did our best to lean in to each other and press our faces together like every sorority photo anyone has ever taken. _Flash!_

"Holy boobies, baby," Emmett yelped.

Carlisle cracked his hand across the top of Emmett's head and growled with disapproval.

"Ow!," he complained reaching up to rub the back of his head.

We giggled openly but Jasper and Edward tried to be gentlemen and did their best to hold in their laughter. Carlisle dressed them down with a stern look.

Rosalie eyed Emmett from across the foyer and dramatically adjusted the girls before leaning in for one more shot. _Flash!_

"Now everyone together," Esme ordered as she waved the boys over.

Edward stood close behind me, slipped his hands around my waist, leaned into me and kissed the nape of my neck. Rosalie and Emmett stood to our right and Jasper and Alice stood to our left. We smiled for the photo. _Flash!_ This is the exact experience I recalled from our Junior Prom in '97. I imagine if I dug through my 'Edward' box in Dad's closet, that I would find a similar photo from way back then. _Flash!_

"Alright everybody, we're outta here," Alice barked instructions. "Rosalie, Emmett, you're with me and Jasper. Edward, Bella, you're on your own. Let's roll."

"No way, Alice," Emmett argued as he reached for Rosalie's hand. "I'm driving, too. We may want to cut out early."

"Fine. Three separate cars then," she conceded as she reached for Jasper's hand and headed out the front door. "See you there!" _Flash!_

"Have fun!" Carlisle said as he ushered them out the front door.

Emmett and Rosalie followed Alice and Jasper, leaving Edward and me in the foyer. I looked down at my wrist and touched the petals of the orchids gently.

"You look so amazing," he said sweetly.

"So do you," I replied as I looked up. His angelic face was smiling back at me. My knees were dangerously close to giving out underneath me.

Edward was wearing a navy pinstriped suit that was expertly tailored to fit his body. The suit cut was a slimmer mod-style, and it made him look so sleek and cool. In addition to the suit his whole look with his crisp tall collared dress shirt, the blood red silk tie was very GQ and very gush worthy. Even his shoes were cool. He was truly a beautiful, beautiful man, and I was a lucky, lucky girl.

"One more picture you two," Esme said and was already holding the camera up to her face as she encouraged us to pose for her.

Edward pulled me close to his side and wrapped his arms around my waist. I snaked one arm behind him and placed my hand, the one with the corsage, on his chest as I leaned in almost resting my cheek against him. I felt his chin brush against the top of my head as he leaned in as well. _Flash!_

He placed a slender finger under my chin and lifted my face to his. He leaned forward slowly and softly brushed his lips against mine. _Flash!_ His emerald eyes locked on mine as he moved just a fraction of an inch away from me and asked , "ready to go?"

"Normally, I would rather eat dirt than go to these kinds of things, but I have this fabulous dress, you look so handsome, and I'd bet money that I'll be the only girl who has a corsage," I said with a sly smile on my face. "I guess we should go, even if it's only to make everyone crazy jealous!"

He chuckled as he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. His hand slid down my arm and he took my hand, towing me through the kitchen towards the garage.

"Good night, Mom and Dad! Don't wait up," he called to them as we slipped through the door and into the garage.

"Drive careful!" Esme shouted after us as the door shut.

Edward led me straight to the passenger door of Carlisle's Mercedes. As I waited for him to open the door for me, I looked around the garage and sucked in a breath of air when I spied the familiar front end of a shiny, silver car.

He opened the door and the look on my face must have startled him. He asked, "what's wrong?"

"You still have the Volvo?"

"I do. I'm getting ready to trade the old girl in for a shiny new one," he said proudly.

"Does it still run?" I asked him as I walked towards the silver car.

"Yeah, it does. Dad's been driving it every now and then and having it serviced regularly. He just had it detailed for me last week, getting it ready for the trade."

"Can we take it tonight instead of your dad's car?" I asked him. I'm sure a look of pure joy spread across my face as I ran my fingers along the smooth lines of Edward's old car. There were lots of great memories for us with that car.

"Sure," he said with a chuckle as he shut the passenger door on the big black car and made his way to me and the Volvo.

"I can't believe you still have this!"

"I can't believe this makes you so happy!"

"Me either! But it does." He opened the door for me, and I slid into the comfortably familiar black leather seat. As Edward closed the car door, I began tracing my hands along the dash and then along the door. He jogged around the front of the car, punched the switch on the wall that engaged the garage door and slipped in behind the steering wheel. I beamed beside him. He laughed at me as he reached up behind the closed visor for the keys and started the engine. Madonna filtered through the speakers.

"Please…no more Madonna!" I begged. Alice had subjected me and Rosalie to nothing but Madonna during our marathon girl day, and I just couldn't take anymore.

"Who knew Madonna would serve as a mere pawn in yet another cruel and unusual punishment courtesy of Alice, huh?" Edward chuckled while he backed out of the garage. Before he put the car in drive he punched a button on the stereo, banishing the material girl from the car. "Your wish is my command."

"Thank you," I sighed with relief as he started the drive to the View Point Inn and our big date night at the Forks High School class of 1998 10 year reunion. Edward reached across the center console, took my hand in his, brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles. Then he rested our clasped hands in my lap.

...

EmPOV

Rosalie and I barely made it out of the Jeep, but standing there in the lobby with her on my arm, I was really glad we decided to come inside. Not that the major make out session in the parking lot wasn't amazing, because it was, but this little hootenanny was kind of like going back in time for me. Back to a time when Rose was my best girl, when I thought I was larger than life, when all I needed in life was my 5 best friends, and I definitely thought I ruled the world. Rosalie's arm was looped through the crook of mine with her fingers resting over my forearm. As I escorted her through the open, double French doors into the ballroom, "Bittersweet Symphony," by Verve was humming above the crowd. It wasn't the greatest song of the decade, but it also wasn't the worst. At least the DJ wasn't playing Britney Spears.

Almost as soon as we crossed over the threshold to the crowded room, we were bombarded by a group of guys that I had played ball with in high school. Sure, it was great to see them, and it was fun talking sports and reminiscing about all the greatest plays from a million years ago, but after about 5 minutes, it became obvious that, although they were talking to me, their eyes were fixed on the beautiful, curvy blonde to my left. I reached up with my right hand and took her hand that was draped over my forearm and possessively wrapped my left arm around her waist pulling her tight against my side.

"I'm thirsty, baby," Rosalie purred next to me. Four out of the five guys standing around us were ready to jump through their ass to be the one to go get her a drink. One of them even visibly took a step away from us to run the errand, and, of course, I gave him the look of death when he realized the gravity of his mistake. She turned to face me with a satisfied smirk on her face, and she wrapped both of her arms around my waist.

"Sorry, guys, I gotta go take care of my girl," I said as I shrugged my shoulders slightly and led Rosalie across the room to the bar.

I ordered a beer for me and a white wine for her. I turned back to Rosalie with our drinks to find that we were surrounded again by a new group of people. Lauren what's-her-name, Ben and Angela were chatting up Rosalie, and a new bunch of jocks were keen on rehashing the historic baseball season of our sophomore year. I couldn't decide if they were just trying to make conversation or if this was all they were capable of talking about. The glory days of our youth and some obscure high school athletic achievements?

_Oh, hell no! The Backstreet Boys? I gotta go make nice with that DJ and make sure she plays some good music_.

I started to look around the room for the rest of our group. If they didn't hurry up, this was going to be one long night.

I looked over at Rosalie, and she looked incredible. Her long blond hair was stick straight and slipped over her shoulders and down her back. And that dress…jeez louise! She was my best match in every way. Her wicked sense of humor complimented my own, she never got embarrassed, so she was content to let me be me, and the heat between us was undeniable. Everything I never knew I was missing was standing right beside me, and on Tuesday, she was going back to L.A. I took a long draw on my beer and tried to shake the dread that had settled in my gut. I had four days with her. A lot can happen in four days. I just had to make sure that I made every single minute count.

I excused myself from the jocks who had herded around me and were still steadily rambling on about baseball and the big rival game against La Push and sauntered up behind Rosalie, wrapping one arm around her waist and kissed her bare shoulder.

"Hey, sexy" she sighed and leaned into my embrace.

"Hey, baby," I said and then nuzzled my chin against her shoulder and her neck. I thought Lauren what's-her-name's eyes were going to fall out of her head.

"I didn't know you guys were together," Lauren said with a more than bitchy tone as her bug eyes raked over us.

My hand was spread across Rosalie's stomach, and she reached up and rubbed the length of my arm against her and warned, "you might want to retract your claws, Lauren. He's mine."

I couldn't contain the smile that was spreading across my face as what's-her-name sputtered and spit in front of us. "No need to mark your territory, Rosalie. I was just making an observation."

"An observation," Rosalie said flatly and in an accusing tone. "Why don't you go grind up on Mike Newton, Lauren? I'm sure he's single."

Ben and Angela stood slack jawed across from us, unable to turn away from the wit to quip combat that Rosalie and this stupid girl were engaged in. What's-her-name was going down in flames.

"I've set my sights on something a little more interesting than Mike Newton," she seethed with an inappropriate confidence.

Alice and Jasper joined the confrontation already in progress. Alice shifted nervously at Rosalie's side while Jasper did his best to try to rein her in. A small crowd had gathered around us, and the phrase, 'girl fight' was being bantered around with a great deal of anticipation.

"I'd like to see you try," Rosalie growled as she stiffened in my arms. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through her body.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not really interested in your sloppy seconds," she said with a sick smile. "I'm more interested in the other Cullen."

Alice and I looked at each other and burst into laughter while Jasper tried to be the gentleman and keep his laughter to himself. Rosalie relaxed in front of me and took a deep breath before she said, "I think it would serve you better if you stuck to your own kind, Lauren. It's laughable that that you're deluded enough to think that either of these guys are attainable, and I hate to break it to you, but it's going to take a hell of a lot more than that hoochie mama dress, those clown boobs and the stripper shoes to help you snare Edward Cullen. He's already got what he wants and believe me when I tell you, she's got more class and dignity in her pinky finger than you could ever hope to have. Why don't you save yourself and the rest of us the trouble and hop on your broomstick and go home?"

"Dayum!" I whispered, moving my hand from around Rosalie's waist to around her shoulders, as I brought my beer to my lips to take another long swig. Jasper was looking down at the ground wheezing out a chuckle next to us, and Alice stood beside Rosalie with her arms crossed, her lips pursed tightly together and her eyebrows raised. It looked as if Alice was about 2 seconds from taking out her earrings, handing her shoes to Jasper and taking this chick out.

'We'll just see about that, won't we?" what's-her-face said in a huff, turned on her heel and walked away.

"I never have liked her," Rosalie said calmly as if she didn't just hand that stupid girl her ass on a plate.

"Oh really? I would have never guessed," Jasper said with a chuckle.

"Some things don't ever change." Alice relaxed her posture and spun around into Jasper's waiting arms.

I started laughing out loud when I realized what DJ Doom was playing now, "Do you guys hear this song? Classic!"

After what had just gone down with Rosalie and that girl, it was beyond funny. In fact it was hysterical. The group fell silent in an attempt to catch the tune, and then everyone started cracking up. It was that "Never Gonna Get It," song by EnVogue, and it piped through the room to torture what's-her-name even further.

"What's so funny?" Bella asked as she squeezed herself in between Alice and Rosalie with Edward close behind.

"It's nothing. Look, Bella, there's Lauren Mallory, why don't you and Edward wave to her?" Rosalie raised a wicked eyebrow, lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers in Lauren's direction, while Bella and Edward blindly followed her instructions. The stupid girl glared from across the room and flipped us off which made us laugh even louder. Rosalie smiled smugly and sipped on her wine.

Bella gasped, "did she just flip you off?"

"Me, you, Edward, Emmett. I'm pretty sure it was meant for all of us," Rosalie said with a giggle. "Never mind her, who needs a drink?"

"I need food first, and then a drink," Edward grumbled.

We dodged across the dance floor and found a table on the far side of the room. Ben, Angela, Bella and Rosalie sat down while the rest of went to the bar or to the buffet line. The novelty of the whole reunion was started to wear thin. If one more person came up to me and said anything about sports, I was going to snap. They came up to me talking about little league baseball, J.V. football, even that one season I played La Crosse. Honestly. I might have been stuck in the past when it came to my friends and to Rosalie, but thank God, I wasn't stuck on any of the rest of that bullshit.

DJ Doom had moved on to 10,000 Maniacs now. At least it wasn't NSync, but I decided I was going to have to go talk to her. _Where the hell is all the really good music from the 90's?_

Everyone reconvened back at our table with food and drinks. We all sat laughing and talking until there was a break in the music and Eric Yorkie and Jessica Stanley took to the stage. They made some kind of jumbled announcement, and then the lights went out and a slide show started. When the first photo of the six of us flashed on the screen I whooped and yelled while the girls just squealed and giggled. There were photos of us all through that slide show. Me and Rose, Jasper and Alice, all the girls together, a great one of Edward and Bella, and then one of Alice, Bella and me at graduation. That one was hard to see, because it was after Edward had left and after Rosalie and I had broken up. We all looked pretty miserable. Edward shifted in his seat and leaned up to wrap Bella in his arms. She kept a smile on her face, but I saw in her eyes that seeing that photo still stung a little bit. I winked at her from across the table.

The slide show ended and Eric and Jessica continued on with the program, making some big play about naming the Reunion King and Queen. I'm not sure how all of it was decided, because I wasn't aware of any kind of voting, but since I spent most of the night talking to some dude who was clinging to his glory days, I wasn't surprised. I was however surprised when they called mine and Rosalie's name. Alice jumped up and down next to me, slapping me on the back and shoving me out of my seat. I stood up and held out my hand for Rosalie.

They gave me a crown and Rosalie a sparkly tiara, which she totally rocked. I probably looked like an ass with that cheesy crown on my head, but I couldn't have cared less. DJ Doom started up the music again with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," by Aerosmith. I didn't pay that much attention when we were in high school to what our class song might have been, but I had to assume this was it. I held her close as we side stepped our way around the dance floor.

Jasper and Alice joined us on the dance floor. Then when I looked around a bit later, lots of other people joined us as well, including Edward and Bella. I'm not sure how he managed to get her out on the dance floor, because she truly can't dance.

I held on tight to Rosalie, and dipped my lips to her neck. Holding her here and now, I couldn't imagine being without her. DJ Doom pulled me from my impossible dream with Toni Braxton. I immediately recognized the song and I lifted my head and started looking for Bella. Alice's panicked face found me first. Her eyes were wide and her face tense as she scanned the dance floor as well. I spun Rosalie in a half turn and found Bella and Edward slowly swaying near the middle of the floor, her eyes were blinking fast and her body was stiff.

"Come with me. I need your help," I whispered to Rosalie as I dropped my arms and took her hand. We walked over to Edward and Bella and I tapped him on the shoulder, asking, "can I cut in?"

"If it's OK with Bella, it's OK with me," he replied.

Bella nodded and quickly slipped into my arms. As we glided away from them, Edward and Rosalie both looked a little confused, but kept dancing. Bella buried her head in my chest and was trembling as I guided her safely away from Edward.

"How ya doin' there, Bella?"

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Do you honestly believe I would ever forget that this was your sad song after he left? I personally took 4 copies of that CD away from you trying to keep you from drowning, but every time Alice or I took it from you, another one showed up in the car a week later." I reminded her.

"I curse Toni Braxton for finding her brief success during the era of my greatest heartbreak."

"You know, you're going to have to rewire that messy little head of yours," I said as I squeezed her closer to me.

"Tell me about it," she sighed.

"I know what you're thinking, Hells Bells, and it's just not real."

"What are you talk – "

I interrupted her before she could rationalize herself out of this relationship before it even got started, "He's not leaving," I said. "There's no rug that's going to be yanked out from underneath you. There's no other shoe to drop."

"But – "

"No buts, Bella! There isn't even a fragile house of cards for you to knock down," I was doing my best to shut down her insecurities. "Edward is finally here, available to you, pining for you, ready to love YOU."

She brushed her fingertips against her cheek and said quietly, "that's all I've ever wanted."

"Hell, Bella, even if you two don't make it, at least you can say that you tried for all the right reasons, and you'll be able to get out from underneath all the 'what if's' that have been hanging over your pretty little dark and twisty head all these years. You've fought for shitty relationships because you were tired of being alone. Why not fight for a real chance at love?" I bent my lips to her ear and whispered, "If you want my advice, I suggest you listen to Toni Braxton and take what he's offering. Listen to the words Bella. Give him the chance to fix everything. You've got nothing to lose. "

_Take back that sad word good-bye__  
__Bring back the joy to my life__  
__Don't leave me here with these tears__  
__Come and kiss this pain away__  
__I can't forget the day you left__  
__Time is so unkind__  
__And life is so cruel without you here beside me_

_Un-break my heart__  
__Say you'll love me again__  
__Undo this hurt you caused__  
__When you walked out the door__  
__And walked out of my life__  
__Un-cry these tears__  
__I cried so many nights__  
__Un-break my heart_

She was quiet in my arms for a while as we continued to sway to the music. Suddenly she threw her head back laughing and then looked at me with a determined squint and a smirk. "You're right...nothing to lose."

"That's my girl!" I leaned towards her and kissed her on the cheek. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and rested cheek against my chest.

"Thanks, Em," she said softly.

"You bet, Bella. It's always been my job to protect you; just every now and then you trip me up, and I have to protect you from yourself."

She stiffened slightly in my arms, "Oh God. Emmett! I pulled you away from Rosalie!"

"Hey, shush. Its fine" I tried to reassure her. I nudged my chin in Edward and Rosalie's direction. They were happily chatting and laughing while they danced. "Look at them. They're totally fine, and none the wiser"

"You're always saving me, aren't you?"

"It's what I do, Bella."

BPOV

"I love you, Em," I said as I squeezed him tightly.

"Love you too, Bella," he said and placed his hands on the side of my face and kissed me quickly. "Now you'll have to excuse me, there's a hot blonde over there beckoning me with a dead sexy wink and smile.

I turned over my shoulder and glanced over at Rosalie and Edward and started to giggle. They had stopped dancing and were now looking in our direction, arms draped all around each other with their cheeks pressed together, making goo goo eyes at us. "I think I'll go with you. That Rosalie Hale looks like she's trying to make time with my man."

We walked hand in hand over to Rosalie and Edward to trade partners.

"Jeez!" Emmett bellowed. "This DJ completely sucks. Color Me Badd? Is she kidding?"

Edward and I laughed, while Rosalie rolled her eyes and sighed, "you've done nothing but complain about this music all night long. You're the king. Why don't you go over there and make a request?"

Emmett's eyes lifted up and his hand reached for the crown on his head. And then, as if a light bulb went off, he grabbed Rosalie's hand and marched off to have a word with the DJ.

I snuggled up to Edward's chest and let him wrap his arms around me. I glanced through the crowd and saw that Lauren Mallory was really giving me the stink eye. I smiled at her from across the room and wrapped my arms around Edward's waist underneath his jacket.

I tilted my face up, resting my chin on his chest and asked, "can we go home?"

He kissed my forehead and replied, "I thought you'd never ask." He grabbed my hand and without saying good bye to our friends or to stop to talk to anyone on the way out, we left.

As we got in the car, I stifled a yawn. "Tired?" he asked.

"I guess I am. A little," I admitted. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"I didn't either, not to mention I'm still definitely jet lagged," he said. "If Alice hadn't kept you out shopping all day, you might have had time to nap with me."

"Damn that Alice!" I teased.

"Let's get you home to bed," he said as he reached over and patted my knee.

_Who's bed? Edward's bed? I am so sleeping on the couch. _

We chatted comfortably all the way back to the house. I was in that car with him and trying to pay attention, but I was completely distracted by the way his lips moved when he spoke, and by the way his eyes literally flooded my heart with passion when he looked at me. I wanted to kiss him properly. The kind of kiss that is full of desire and so much heat that we're both left breathless. My moral compass wouldn't let me get too far ahead of myself regarding Edward, but I didn't have any personal rules or limitations on kissing.

Edward turned on to the long, private road that led us back to his house. I took off my seatbelt and twisted slightly in my seat to look at him. I reached up with my left hand and touched his hair behind his ear and traced my fingers along the skin at his neck. He closed his eyes and leaned into my hand and then turned to look at me. I leaned against the head rest, flipped the ends of his hair at the back of his neck between my fingers and smiled at him. Edward smiled back at me and then turned to the road ahead of us and pressed on the gas pedal.

Within minutes, we were safely parked in the garage, and Edward was at my door, offering me his hand. I took his hand and let him pull me from the car to his arms. He stopped the momentum of his pull just as I threw my arms around his neck and our mouths were inches apart.

His uneven breath matched mine and his eyes searched mine briefly before he leaned in softly capturing my lips with his own. Edward's lips were unbelievably soft and patient. I parted my mouth against his and licked against his top lip. He reacted by moving his mouth away from mine slightly parting his lips with a gasp and a look of surprise and lust. He quickly answered my invitation by crashing his lips back to my mouth with his gently but probing tongue tenderly rolling rhythmically with mine. The delicious swirl as our tongues met over and over again making me dizzy. He was passionate but careful, and he tasted so sweet in my mouth.

Edward moaned as he deepened our kiss, and then he took a couple of shuffled steps so that I was leaning against the car. He moved his hands so they cradled my face, stroking my hair off my cheek and behind my shoulders. My head was spinning as Edward pulled away from the kiss allowing me to catch my breath. When I looked at him, his eyes were wide and glossy, and the heat between us marked his cheeks with a beautiful pink flush.

His eyes searched mine briefly before he hungrily claimed my lips again. His leaned his body against mine as he pressed us against the Volvo. My hands slipped under his jacket and ran across his perfect chest and his shoulders, before I slid them along his sides and around his back between his strong shoulder blades pulling him deeper into the kiss. My body was pressed firmly against his as Edward bent his knees and crouched slightly in front of me, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. He moved his lips away from my mouth and began to kiss the base of my neck and along my collar bone to the hollow just under my ear. A small whimper escaped my lips which only seemed to send us both further down the seductive spiral that was pulling us under. He moaned quietly as he traced his tongue along the outside of my ear and nibbled on my ear lobe.

My response was quick and completely involuntary as I trembled under his touch. I felt him smile against the hallow of my neck.

He kissed his way back along my jaw to my lips. He moved one hand to my face, tracing his fingertips lightly from my forehead to my jaw, he looked at me with complete adoration. "I thought I had remembered every minute detail about kissing you. But I have to admit that my memory has failed me miserably because this is so much better than I remember. So much better than I could imagine."

"Maybe we've both learned a few tricks since then," I said with a smile looking up at him through my eyelashes.

Edward leaned in and kissed me softly and then chuckled, "this is more than a new trick, Bella. This is magic."

"Definitely magic," I sighed and then crushed my mouth to his. His tongue licked at my lips begging for entrance, and I eagerly gave him what he wanted, because it was what I wanted as well. Our tongues twisted together in a blissful, slow rhythm, and then he took my bottom lip in between his soft, pillow lips and nipped and sucked it gently which made me quietly moan.

"God, Bella," he said through ragged breath. He pulled away and turned his body so that he was leaning against the Volvo beside me with his lead tilted back so he was looking at the ceiling of the garage. "We shouldn't be here."

An alarm went off in my head instantly, I felt my stomach begin to turn on itself and I looked down at my feet. _Here it is…the dreaded other shoe._

Edward sensed my panic and turned to me pleading, "oh, Bella. No. It's nothing bad!" He took my face in my hands and forced me to look at him. He was smiling at me. "I just mean, I shouldn't have you pressed up against a car like this. I mean honestly, how romantic is it to be sharing this, our first real kiss in 10 years, in my parents smelly garage?"

We laughed together. I was immediately relieved. Maybe Emmett was right? Maybe there was no other shoe.

"I love this car," I said as I reached up patting my hand on the side view mirror.

"That doesn't make this any more acceptable, Bella. I feel like a complete ass," he said as he dropped his hands from my face.

"C'mon, it's not that bad. Actually it was pretty damn great," I said with a raised eyebrow and a smile on my face.

"I still feel like an ass," he said with a smile as he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss. "Forgive me?"

"No apologies, Edward. Let's go inside. We have to talk sleeping arrangements," I said as I reached for his hand and led him to the kitchen door.

He followed along behind me through the house. "You can take my bed, and I'll sleep on my couch. I'll be a complete gentleman."

"I'm not going to let you give up your bed!" I protested as we started up the stairs together.

"You say that as if you really have a choice in the matter," he said. "You're my guest, so by order of the Cullen Family host manual, you get the bed."

"Edward! I'll take the couch, you keep your bed."

"No arguing. The bed is yours."

"What about a compromise?"

"Compromise is good," he said as we reached the end of the hall and the door to his bedroom. Edward opened the door for me, ushered me into his room and then shut the door behind us.

I walked to the foot of the bed and turned around to look at him and said, "We can sleep together without sleeping together, can't we?"

Edward went to his closet and took off his tie and jacket, hanging it back on the hanger and peeked out of the large walk-in and said, "I can if you can." He tucked back into the closet.

"Oh, I definitely can," I lied. I wasn't sure how I was going to keep my lust for him in check, but I was going to do my damndest to make sure I stuck to all my own rules, even if it was Edward.

"Looks like we've reached a compromise," he yelled from deep inside the closet. "Any other rules we need to consider?"

"Rules?" I answered curiously. _What is he doing in there?_

"Yeah. Rules. Like can we snuggle or is it a snuggle free zone?"

I giggled, "Snuggling is good, but no attempt at seduction, and no petting. Heavy or otherwise." Not until date 4 that is, I thought to myself as I bit my lip.

"I can live with those rules," he said as he emerged from the closet wearing a t-shirt and loose fitting, plaid cotton pajama bottoms. He walked up to me, put one hand on the side of my face and gave me a quick kiss before he went to the bathroom.

My eyes followed him as he walked away from me. Grandpa PJ's were my favorite thing in the world to sleep in, but I had never thought for one second that they could be considered sexy. Seeing Edward tonight changed my mind. I fanned my hands in front of my face and collapsed backwards on the bed behind me.

"You sure you can handle it, Cullen. I'm pretty freakin' irresistible," I teased as I looked towards the bathroom.

Edward leaned through the bathroom door, with dental floss hanging from his hands, manipulating the thin thread between his teeth he mumbled, "as irresistible as you are, Bella, a deal is a deal. Once the terms are agreed upon, there's no going back." He smiled at me and then went back to the bathroom. "You're completely safe."

I got up from the bed, and went over to the closet where Edward had stowed my bags. I took off my shoes and rummaged through my bag looking for the pj's Alice had picked out for me at Victoria's Secret. I was so glad that I'd chosen the more sensible boxers and tank top combo rather than the lacey thing she was so insistent on. God love her, but Alice was off her rocker if she ever thought I'd be caught dead wearing any of that crap.

I gathered up all my clothes and my little travel bag and headed for the bathroom. I slipped into the room and stood next to Edward in front of the mirror. He was finishing up brushing his teeth while I started pulling pins and barrettes from my hair. He raised his head up from the sink just as my hair was falling around my face and shoulders. His eyes blazed a brilliant green in the mirror in front of me.

"I told you, pretty freakin' irresistible," I teased him as I shook out my hair.

Edward tapped his toothbrush on the edge of the sink and filled a small glass with water to rinse his mouth. He brought the glass to his mouth and before taking a rinse he muttered, "don't I know it."

I started pulling tubes of this and that out of my bag, including my toothbrush, and some face wipes when he spit out the water and retreated to his bedroom. "I'll be right out," I called after him.

"I'll warm up the bed for you," he quipped as I shut the door.

I struggled to reach the top of the zipper on my dress, and then quickly slipped out of the pretty midnight blue taffeta dress and draped it over the edge of the vanity. I changed into my new pj's and realized that I didn't have a bra to put on. I'd worn a strapless bra with my party dress, and I couldn't very well sleep in that. I'd wake up with the damn thing around my waist, which would serve no purpose at all. I wasn't really that self conscious of my body, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Thankfully, the tank had a shelf bra in it, so it wouldn't be that bad. Just more temptation I suppose, which after that kiss in the garage was a pretty dangerous prospect. I pulled my hair back, washed and moisturized my face, put on lotion, and brushed my teeth. I took one last look in the mirror and decided to let my hair out. I reached up and pulled the elastic from my hair and let my hair fall around my face. I gave my head one good shake, gathered up my clothes and opened the door.

Edward was lying against his head board with his feet crossed, fiddling with a remote. He whistled at me as I walked through the room to the closet, poking fun at him as I walked. "What are you doing, Edward?" I asked as I hung up my dress, put it back in the garment bag and packed away the rest of my stuff.

"Just trying to find some good mood music," he said matter of factly. Marvin Gaye started singing "Let's Get it On," just outside the closet door. I jerked up with my eyes wide and took a tentative step outside of the closet. Edward wiggled his eyebrows at me and patted his hand on the mattress next to him. My jaw dropped open, and I completely froze.

Edward burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that he rolled onto his side, holding his belly and buried his head in the pillow. "I'm just kidding, Bella! You're such an easy target." He held up the remote, pushed a button and the tune quickly changed from Marvin to something soft and classical.

"Shit head," I mumbled and shot him a dirty look as I flipped off the light in the closet and then the main light switch by the door. Edward had a bedside lamp on that threw a soft light across the room. He was still completely amused with himself, with an impish grin spread across his face and his green eyes sparkling and clear. He looked sexy as hell. This could be dangerous.

He scooted under the covers and threw back the pretty linens, inviting me in. I walked cautiously across the room and stood just short of his bed. "No funny business. I promise," he said as he crossed his heart with an 'x'.

I closed one eye and sized him up. His face was angelic and honest. I know I can trust him, but could I trust myself?

As soon as I slipped in next to him, he swung the covers back over my body. I curled up on my side facing away from him. He slid his strong arm under my neck and shoulders and then pressed his body against my back. His chest, hips and legs molded perfectly against my frame and his warm breath tickled the back of my neck.

"Is this okay?" he whispered against my neck. "I'm not breaking any rules, am I?"

My heart was racing, but it just felt so natural. As we had so many years ago, we just fit. "It's perfect," I said quietly.

Edward reached over and turned off the light beside him and then he draped his free arm across my waist, resting his hand on my stomach. He shifted his body against my back, sighed deeply and whispered against my ear, "sweet dreams, Bella."

I dropped my right hand under the blankets and laid it in the hand he rested on my stomach. He squeezed my fingers gently and relaxed his hand. Lying there in his bed in the warmth of his embrace I thought about what Emmett had said to me while he was talking me down off the ledge that Toni Braxton built. I knew that Edward had every intention of staying, and he wanted to be with me. But I wasn't so sure that I wouldn't chase him away with my long list of neurotic tendencies. I did need to rewire my head if I had any kind of hope of making this relationship work. I heard his breath against my cheek and felt the rise and fall of his chest against my back and I knew he was falling asleep.

So much had changed in the last two days. Last night, I was terrified, full of doubt and anxiety. In this moment, I was content. No, it was more than that, I was happy.

**A/N: For all of you who love Emmett (and honestly, who doesn't?) I've got a special surprise for you in the next chapter!! Thanks for reading!**


	12. You Can Leave Your Hat On

**A/N: Okay, kids...couple of things about this chapter. First of all a warning: it's a lovely, lusty romp but if you don't like tart so strong that it makes the hinges of your jaw pucker, you should probably skip RPOV. This story is rated M and I think I earn my stripes on this chapter so be warned. Secondly, I love, love, love Emmett so it was very important to maintain the integrity of my version of him here – he curses, he's frisky as hell, he's burly and beautiful. I hope you all can appreciate how he lives and breathes in my imagination. I'd love to hear what you think. **

**This cheeky chapter has an equally cheeky namesake with **_**"You Can Leave Your Hat On,"**_** by Joe Cocker. If you're unfamiliar (is this really possible?), or even if you just want a soundtrack while reading, you can find a link to the song on my bio page.**

**To my friend, Tigress, I wouldn't want to do this with anyone but you!! Thanks for everything. **

**Disclaimer:**_** Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, I just like to play with her creation. **_

APOV

I rested my cheek on Jasper's chest and slowly swirled my finger around a button on his shirt as we swayed together on the dance floor. Both his arms were around me, holding me against him, while Trisha Yearwood's "How Do I Live" washed over us. The harsh reality was that Jasper would be going back L.A. on Tuesday, and the dread of being apart was already gathering around me like a black cloud. I knew we'd stay together no matter the distance, and I knew that one day he'd marry me, but I wasn't sure how I was going to get through the next few months while he tried to figure out his life and find a way to move to Seattle.

I reached up and rubbed my fingers across my forehead trying to scrub the black cloud away. We still had a few days, and I wasn't going to waste one minute of it being unhappy about some future event I couldn't control. I slipped my arms around his waist, hugged him tighter, forced the sad lyrics from my head and listened to his heart beating in his chest. He kissed the top of my head. Trisha Yearwood wound down and "Show me Love," by Robyn started in, lightening my mood. I reached for Jasper's hand and nodded my head over to our table, leading him across the room.

"You guys have spent most of the night out there dancing," Angela said.

"That was my evil doing," Jasper admitted as he snuggled up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing me on my shoulder. "On the dance floor I have her all to myself."

I rubbed my hands along his arms and cooed, "Aww,…honey!"

"It's the truth," he replied, continuing to kiss from my shoulder, along my collar bone and then to my neck.

Just before I lost complete focus and allowed Jasper's kisses to whisk me away, I glanced around the almost empty table where Angela and Ben sat gawking and giggling at Jasper's display of affection. I straightened up, wrinkled up my nose, and started aimlessly looking around the ballroom completely unmoved by the fact that Jasper was still trying desperately to seduce me.

"Where did everybody go?"

"Who?" Ben asked.

"Everybody!" I swatted at Jasper's hands around my waist, essentially calling off the attack he was staging against my neck.

"What's wrong?" Jasper sighed and shifted from behind me, dropping himself into a chair next to Angela.

Ben looked around the room and said, "It's been thinning out for a while now -"

I interrupted him before he could finish, "I wasn't literally talking everybody, Ben. I meant Edward, Bella, Rosalie and Emmett."

"I haven't seen them for a while," Angela offered.

"Don't look at me! I've been preoccupied most of the night," Jasper said defensively as he raised his hands up with his palms forward.

I stood there with my hands on my hips scanning the room. They were gone. Flaked out. Sayonara sister.

"Where the hell are they?"

RPOV

Emmett barreled the Jeep down the interstate, gripping the steering wheel with both hands and intently staring straight ahead. I'd misjudged his limitations once already when I reached over and rubbed his thigh, and the consequences were almost tragic as his concentration began to slip, and we hit those little "wake up" bumps that are scored into the asphalt along the shoulder. At the speed we were traveling now, there was no way I was getting anywhere near him with my hand or anything else.

"Don't you think you should slow down there, big boy?" I said tensely as I gripped the seatbelt strap that was locked across my chest.

He brushed the back of his hand across his forehead, straightened the crown that was still on his head and then looked at me. He dragged his glassy eyes from my lips to my breasts, whimpering as he tore his stare from me back to the road. "We're almost there," he said under his breath.

He was so keyed up, I knew I was in for a good night…and so was he.

We pulled into the parking lot, under the eaves of the front drive. Emmett slammed the Jeep into park, launched his big body across the center console at me, reached his hand behind my neck and kissed me roughly. My body responded, but that damn seatbelt was locked and it had me trapped against the seat. He pulled away from me abruptly and with a gravelly edge to his voice said, "I'll be right back."

I watched him as he jumped out of the car and ran to the double doors, swinging them open quickly and disappearing inside. I hadn't thought much about this shitty, little hotel in the last few years, and here I was checking in twice in the last 48 hours. Last night with Emmett was cautious and tender with just a whole lot of fooling around going on. But tonight, I didn't think either of us had it in us to hold back anymore. In all good consciousness, I couldn't go back to Esme and Carlisle's house and do what I wanted to do with Emmett. I wanted to curl his toes and make him scream my name, and all things considered, I didn't think that was good guest etiquette. So here we were back at the good ol' Dew Drop Inn.

I flipped the visor down and checked myself in the mirror. The sparkly, little tiara was still sitting pretty on top of my head. I reached for my bag and pulled out my favorite Chanel Star Red lipstick to reapply, but then I thought better of it. I twisted the lipstick closed and put the tube back in my bag.

Emmett burst through the hotel lobby doors grinning ear to ear. He jogged around the front end of the Jeep and hopped in the driver's seat. He reached out his left hand, swinging a room key in front of me. I reached up, grabbed the key from his hand and dropped it into the front of my dress. He stared back at me with wide eyes and swallowed hard, and then I watched his eyes turn dark as a wicked grin spread across his face.

He threw the Jeep into drive and peeled out of the hotel driveway, speeding down the length of the building. He jerked the wheel sharply to the left as we screeched to a stop in a parking space. "Don't move," he growled as he hurriedly turned off the engine and hopped out of the car. Emmett ran around the back of the car and showed up quickly just outside my door, opening it for me. He leaned in and kissed me briefly before slipping one arm under my knees and one behind my back, pulling me from the jeep into the warmth of his big embrace. I put my hands to his face and kissed him softly one small, shallow kiss at a time, as he kicked the door shut behind him, punched the alarm button on his key ring and walked us right up to room 138.

"Baby…aren't you…going to…open…the door?" I asked between kisses

"I sure am," he growled against my lips. Emmett carefully dropped his hold around my legs and lowered my feet to the ground beneath me. He wrapped both of his arms around my waist, pulling me close. He dipped his head and began to kiss down the length of my neck, across my chest and then brushed his lips across each breast before he buried his head into my cleavage. He licked and nibbled between my breasts for what seemed like an eternity and then suddenly sprang up in front of me smiling broadly with the room key dangling between his teeth. He laughed at his accomplishment and then opened the door, sweeping his arm across his body inviting me in.

I sauntered into the familiar little room. Every room I'd ever been in at the Dew Drop was exactly the same. There was a double bed in the center of the room, with a faded maroon and green floral bedspread. _That_ was coming off immediately. Two nightstands stood guard on either side of the bed with a phone on one. A dresser with an old television was across the wall. The tan wallpaper was faded, if that was possible, and peeling in the corners. There was a stale smell like day old socks.

Emmett put the 'do not disturb' sign on the door handle, swung the door shut, locked it and then started grabbing after me. I spun around to face him before he could get a good grip around my waist, put my hands out in front of me with one finger pointing at him and warned him as I took a couple of steps backwards, "you just slow down there, Tiger."

The smile slipped from his face and his posture slumped forward as he fell to his knees sitting on his heels in front of me. I was going to enjoy torturing him and drawing the sexual tension out in a slow and mind blowing, passionate, tantric experience. He didn't know it yet, but he was going to be thanking me for tonight for the rest of our natural lives. Or at least that was the plan. Looking at him kneeling there in front of me with his pleading eyes, his hands digging into his thighs, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to hold out as long as I had hoped. At least I was going to try.

"Slow down?" Emmett groaned at my feet. He rose up on his knees and wrapped his arms around my hips, nuzzling his head against my stomach.

I reached down and took his face in my hands, tilting his face up so I could see him. "Mmm hmm. Just a little bit baby. I've got plans for you." I leaned over and kissed him on the lips, and then slithered out of his arms, walking over to the foot of the bed.

Almost as soon as I had pried myself out of his strong arms and moved away from him, Emmett collapsed, spread eagle on the floor, exasperated and mumbling, "_please_ tell me that these plans include sex."

"Don't worry, Em. There'll be lots of sex," I promised, as I yanked the tacky bedspread off the bed with one great pull, leaving only the pillows and the clean, white bed sheets on the bed. .

He rolled over on his side, leaned on his elbow and crossed his legs at his ankles. He raised his eyebrows at me and asked, "exactly how much is 'lots' of sex?"

"Let's not get stuck on the details before we even get started," I said with a confident smirk and matched his raised eyebrow with my own before I sat on the foot of the bed. "Now why don't you get up off that floor and come closer?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Emmett jumped up off the floor and started twisting around pulling at his tie and trying to shrug off his jacket.

"Whoa! Slow down, Emmett," I said with a low giggle. I shifted on the bed, leaned back on my hands and then crossed my legs. "I want to watch."

Emmett froze mid frenzy, and his eyes drew into a squint as a sly smile spread across his face. "So _that's_ how it's gonna be. I like having an audience," he said hoarsely. He straightened up and shrugged his shoulders, rolled his neck, and smoothed out his tie.

He curled his fingers around the lapel of his jacket, flashed it open on the right, gave me a cheeky wink and a silly pucker on his lips as he flashed open the left as well. He slipped the jacket off his right shoulder first and then his left, letting the thing slide from his shoulders, catching it behind his back in his hands. He swung the jacket over his shoulder and did a little Michael Jackson spin and then he launched the discarded clothing across the room, landing it in a chair.

I didn't really care if he went cornball on this, as long as he took his time.

Emmett took one step towards me and began loosening his tie. He slowly tugged the knot to the left, and then a little wider to the right and back to the left before he reached up and pulled on the silk until the knot was undone and the tie hung free around his neck. He took another step closer to me, and I locked my eyes on his, wound the silk ends in my hands pulling him down and towards me. He staggered as he closed the distance between us, planted his hands on either side of me on the bed, leaning into me.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered as he inched slowly closer to me, his eyes blazing into mine, tilting his head slowly to the left and then teasing me with his closeness but not taking my lips. He tilted his head to the right and moved even closer, barely brushing his full lips against mine. My eyes rolled up in my head, as my breathing hitched with a gasp and my lips parted in anticipation. I let go of one of the silk tails of his tie and tried to wrap my hand around his neck, but he pulled away before I got the chance, letting the tie slip from his collar in my hand as he moved away from me.

I whimpered softly and began twisting his tie around my hand.

"You asked for this, Rosalie. I'm simply giving you what you want," Emmett said with a delicious mix of sarcasm and sexy in his voice.

I didn't say a word, but arched my eyebrow and leaned back on my hands, swinging my crossed leg as if that near miss kiss hadn't affected me at all. Good thing I wasn't one to blush so it was possible to keep the fact that I was completely turned on to myself…for now.

He settled in front of me again, now a safe distance away he slowly started gathering the fabric of his shirt in his hands and lifted his shirt tail out of his charcoal gray pants. Emmett brought one hand up at a time as he slowly unbuttoned his cuffs and then he raked his hands across the buttons on his chest and began to playfully pluck each of them free of their buttonholes. Beautiful slivers of tan skin began to peak through his now unbuttoned shirt. He released the last button and then turned his back to me as he began to shrug out of his crisp, white dress shirt. His shoulders flexed as the white fabric began to shift and slide away from his body, slowly revealing his perfectly sculpted back. Once he was finally free of the shirt, he put his hands on his hips and somehow flexed the muscles in his legs and his butt so his ass bounced and twitched in such a lovely but naughty way. It was a stripper trick, but he executed it so beautifully.

"Oh my," I said under my breath and bit my lip.

Emmett looked over his shoulder, smiling at me as if he'd heard my mutterings or more likely that he understood just how much his little ass trick had surprised and impressed me. He swept his arm in a grand gesture, flexing his muscles as he reached up with one hand to take off the crown. "Leave it," I quickly interrupted him.

He did as I asked with a wiggle of his brow, and he slowly turned back to face me. He shuffled his feet and began kicking off his shoes while his hands worked on releasing his belt buckle. Free of his shoes, he rocked from side to side as he slowly stripped the leather of his belt free from his pants and dropped it to the floor.

"Nice," I purred.

"Enjoying the show?" he asked playfully as he ran his thumbs along the inside of the waist band of his pants.

"Mmm hmm."

Feeling the heat building inside my body, I shifted my position on the bed, slowly re-crossing my legs. My eyes drifted slowly from his strong shoulders, to his flexing pecs, to the ridges and ripples along his tight stomach, settling on the pronounced veins that drifted just to the left of that glorious deep 'v' hunk of muscle near his hip. That would be the first point of attention when I finally got my hands and my mouth on him.

He unbuttoned his pants and slowly lowered the zipper, revealing the black waist band of his underwear. He opened the fly on his pants and shimmied them down over his hips and then his thick thighs and eventually stepping out of them leaving them in a puddle of fabric on the floor. He stood proudly in front of me, rubbing his hands up and down his chest and abs.

I looked him up and down, taking in his beautifully sculpted body and then glanced down at his feet letting a quiet giggle escape me.

"What? The black socks don't do it for you, baby?" He drew up his knee and started tugging at his socks, and then hopped as he tried to balance himself taking off one and then the other. "I guess they do kind of ruin the whole illusion, don't they?"

"It would take a hell of a lot more than a pair of black socks to ruin what you've got going on over there," I offered.

Emmett smiled at me and started running his thumbs under the waist band of his tight, black boxer briefs, tugging suggestively at the elastic.

"Wait," I interrupted him before he could take them down. I sat up on the edge of the bed and uncrossed my legs, waving him over to me. "Let me help you with those."

"Gladly," he said hoarsely. He took five short steps to close the distance between us and put his hands on my arms, rubbing the length from my shoulder to my elbow.

I reached out with both hands and ran them along the smooth skin of his stomach, running a path with my fingers along the ridges of muscle before leaning in to kiss him just below his belly button. My hands drifted from his stomach to his sides, making sure to graze that lovely cluster of veins that rose under his skin near his left hip. A trail of kisses followed the path that my hands made across his skin as I planted kiss after sweet kiss along that deep valley of muscle that led to his now obvious erection. He let out a little moan and shifted a little closer. I let my hands drift from his sides around to his firm ass and gave him a good squeeze.

Before I could remove his underwear, he moved his hands from my arms and threaded his fingers in my hair, pulling my attention up to his face. "My turn," he said in a throaty voice. With a gentle draw, he encouraged me to stand in front of him. He ran his hands from my hair, down my shoulders and my back, snaked his arms around my waist and then dipped his lips to kiss along my neck and shoulders.

I gasped at the sensation of his warm, wet mouth on my cool skin. I could feel him smile against my neck as he continued with the soft kisses on my collarbone. He turned me with his hands at my waist and then gently moved my hair out of the way as he pressed his lips across my shoulder before he took the zipper of my dress in his hand and dragged it slowly down. He ran his large hands across the span of my bare back, moving his lips further down my spine. "Beautiful," he whispered against my skin.

My skin was on fire underneath his touch and his lips. I felt goosebumps begin to bubble up along the path where his fingertips lightly grazed my skin. I reached up, took my hair in my hands and pulled it over to one side, looking over my shoulder hoping to catch a glimpse at him.

Emmett stood up, pressed his body against me, leaned in to me and captured my lips with his as he snaked one hand across my stomach. His other hand slid up my back to the straps of my dress and the clasp behind my neck that kept my dress in place. He kissed me passionately while he effortlessly released the closure with one hand and let the fabric fall free in front of me. I reached behind me and threaded my fingers in his hair just above his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. He ran his hands across my stomach and my sides and then gently moved his hands to my breasts, gently teasing and kneading a moan from me in the process. I opened my lips against his kiss, gasping against his touch. Emmett squeezed me harder in his hands and groaned as he sucked and nibbled on my lower lip.

Everyone has their limits, and Emmett nipping at my lip while his hands were on my breasts was mine. I spun around in his arms, knotted my hands around his neck and crashed my mouth to his, darting my tongue around his and lapping up every ounce of sweetness his mouth offered me. He wrapped his hands around to the small of my back and gathered the fabric of my dress in his fists as he slowly began to drag my dress down my body. He stopped kissing me to watch as the fabric slid from my bare breasts and across my stomach. I untangled my hands from his neck to assist him removing my dress. I put my hands on his wrists, pushed down and wiggled my hips, freeing myself from the dress all together.

With the dress in a pool on the floor around my high heels, I stood in front of him in nothing but a tiara, a black, lacy thong and my shoes. His mouth slacked open as if he wanted to say something and then quickly snapped shut. I put my hands on his shoulders to balance myself and carefully stepped free from the fabric.

"God damn, Rosalie. You are so beautiful," he said in a husky voice. He kicked my dress out of the way, and turned us so that he could sit on the edge of the bed.

"You may have already said that once or twice," I teased as I straightened the silly crown that still sat on his head and moved my body to stand in between his legs.

"And I'll say it again and again for as long as you'll let me," he replied. His glossy, heavy lidded eyes moved the length of my body as he ran his hands along behind my legs, to my hips and up against my sides, brushing his thumbs under my breasts and turning his wrists so that he was cupping me in his big, warm hands. I let out a soft moan. A growl started low in his chest as he took my left nipple in between his fingers, pinching and rolling it until it puckered and tightened in his hand. "Beautiful," he whispered again as he leaned in and took my nipple in his mouth.

I arched against his touch and placed my hands on each side of his face, reeling at the touch of his hands and his mouth against my already heated skin. I was nearly weak in the knees as he gently and relentlessly sucked, nipped and kneaded me. Emmett's touch had ignited a fire so deep inside me that as much as I was enjoying what he was doing, I needed more. I carefully moved him away from my breasts, tilting his face to mine, bending down to capture his mouth in my own. I kissed him deeply, devouring his lips and his tongue, and demanding his response.

He wrapped his arms around my ass and pulled me closer. I quickly reached up and yanked the crown from his head, launched it across the room, and then pressed my hands against his shoulders, pushed him back on the bed, and planted my knee between his legs which forced him to lie back, pulling me on top of him. He broke the kiss and began to scramble backwards towards the middle of the bed. As he moved away from me smiling in anticipation, I watched him through my eyelashes and enjoyed the view of his perfect body. My eyes settled on the enormous erection that strained against the dark cotton of his boxer briefs.

"We'll need to get rid of these," I said as I crawled up his body and kneeled just next to his left side. I wrapped my fingers around the elastic band of his underwear and roughly pulled them down around his shins.

"Damn, baby!" he said excitedly bending his knees, hooking his feet alternately around the band of underwear forcing them down and free from his legs.

His erection was twitching and stiff against his stomach as I reached out and took him in my hands. Emmett dug his heels into the mattress, shifted his hips and sucked in a big breath through his gritted teeth as I laced my fingers together around his shaft and began to stroke him slowly from base to tip. After a few long strokes, I swirled my thumbs around his smooth and sensitive head, feeling even more excitement in my own body after I discovered that slight bit of warm fluid that pooled at his tip. A feral hiss escaped his lips as I dipped my thumb in the warm pool and rubbed against him, before sliding my hands down his full length once again.

I glanced up to find him staring down at me with wild eyes, and biting his lower lip. I kept my eyes locked on his as I leaned over his body, wrapped my fingers firmly around him at the base and took him in my mouth. I teased him at first by circled my tongue around his swollen tip before I closed my lips over him and took him fully in my mouth. Emmett moaned loudly and pressed his hips up to meet me.

"Rose…I…oh…God!" he moaned.

My eyes fluttered open to see him now with his eyes rolled back into his head and his lips parted as he clutched the bedsheets in his hands. I continued to pump him with my hand and my mouth, sucking and keeping a slow rhythm. His hands tangled in my hair and his hips began to mimic the pace of my hands and my mouth. I could see the muscles in his stomach begin to contract, and I knew he was close.

"Ohhh…Rose…I'm…I'm…" Emmett's guttural moans took over as he quickened his movements before he exploded with an earth shattering cry, convulsing on the bed, his hands tightening in my hair; his whole body writhing in pleasure.

I released him from my hands and from my mouth and began kissing the soft skin and vein-y bits on his hip before I made my way up his stomach and his heaving chest. I snuggled up to him, lying on my side with one leg hitched over his waist, and buried my head in the crook of his arm as he wrapped his big arm around me.

"Happy?" I asked him as I looked up at his beautifully flushed face.

"Happy doesn't even begin to cover it, Rose," he said breathless and heaving. "I'm God damned giddy."

"I'm glad."

"Hmm…" He turned his face to me, reached up with his right hand, cupped my face and kissed me softly and deeply. I moaned as his tongue explored my mouth without reservation. The heat that was blazing inside me had reached a boiling point and I ached for him.

He moved his hand from my face, and ran his fingers along my ribs, over my hips and reached around to my ass.

"Touch me, Emmett," I breathed against his neck as I started kissing and nibbling at his neck. My hand ran across his chest and pinched his nipple. "Now."

He flinched, and clutched my ass cheek harder in his hand before he replied with a smile, "you don't have to tell me twice."

He gently rolled over on top of me, careful to keep his weight above me with his arms and his knees. He hovered above me tracing his tongue against my bottom lip, and then taking my lips fully in his mouth, twisting and sliding his tongue against mine. His mouth was relentless and the pressure of his lips on mine made me burn from the inside out.

He broke away from my lips and began kissing down my neck, trailing his hand over my breast and then my stomach, and then resting near my hip. His kisses followed the path of his hand as he inched his body lower and lower until he settled above me straddling my thighs. His fingers lightly brushed the edge of the thin piece of lace that covered me. His touch was so light that it tickled my stomach and made my abs jump. A wicked grin spread across his face as he retraced his fingers lightly again making my stomach flex again.

"Stop teasing me, Emmett!" I exclaimed as I playfully slapped him on his back, screaming and giggling at the same time.

He looked at me with a devilish grin and then he repositioned himself beside me and in a rough voice told me to turn over. I complied and felt a shiver run right through the core of me, cranking up the flame burning deep inside me even higher. His hands ran up and down my back, and then settled on my ass as he gripped his thick fingers around the thin elastic of my thong in his hands. I couldn't see his face, but I felt his hot breath on my skin seconds before I felt the shock of his soft, wet lips on the small of my back. He slipped the thin elastic off my hips and continued planting delicate kisses on the curve of my bottom and then across my cheek. He slid his hand over to my hip and rolled me towards him on my back, pulling the tiny shred of lingerie down my legs and over the high heels that were securely strapped to my feet as he moved me.

He lay beside me, pressing his knee against the most heated part of me as leaned in for the most passionate kiss I've ever known. I rubbed myself against his knee desperate for him. With his mouth still on mine, his left hand ran the length of my body, searching for my core.

When his fingers finally dipped into me, he broke free from my lips gasping, "Oh, God! Rose, you're so fucking…"

"Wet. I know," I croaked as I dug my nails across his shoulders and shifted my hips to meet his touch.

"God…" Emmet said hoarsely as he began stroking me slowly. "Damn."

I felt him harden again against my hip as he slipped his fingers in and out. I hissed as I continued to wriggle and move with his movements as he began rubbing small circles against my most sensitive spot with his thumb.

I was close to losing it, but I needed to feel him inside me. I reached my hand between us and took his hard erection in my hand, squeezing gently.

"Fuck me. Rosalie..." he groaned.

"No, fuck _me_, Emmett," I whined through my own labored breath as I began to stroke him.

"Ahhh…wait just a sec," he panted.

"Wait?! What the hell?" I screeched as he leaped from the bed, leaving me writhing alone and cold on the bed.

"Sorry, babe, I'm a safety guy," he said flustered as he started flinging his discarded clothes around the room, looking for his jacket.

"_Hurry_," I hissed as I scissored my legs back and forth waiting impatiently for him.

He found his jacket and quickly dug through the pockets, retrieving the familiar, small, square packet and bounding back to the edge of the bed. He put the little foil square up to his lips and tore the top of the wrapper off with his teeth, and quickly rolled the small bit of latex over himself. I opened my legs up to him and he positively purred as he crawled his way back to me, "Beautiful."

He settled himself between my legs and crushed his body on top of me, kissing my already swollen lips. I could feel the tip of his erection pressing against me now, sparking every ounce of desire in me. I reached behind him and grabbed his ass, pulling him firmly towards me, inviting him in. He reached down between us, guiding himself to my entrance, and then pushed forward, filling me completely. His kiss drowned my cries of ecstasy. I held on to his ass, pulling him closer to me, not wanting him to move, content in the moment being completely filled by him.

He broke the kiss, gasping for air and searching my eyes with complete adoration, "Are you okay?"

"I'm perfect. You're perfect." I said with ragged breath.

I released the death grip on his ass, and allowed him to pull out almost the entire length of himself before he pressed back into me. He thrust forward with long, slow and full strokes at first, paying attention to the rise and fall of my own movements as I rocked against him. We set a steady rhythm between us that created the most perfect friction for both of us. I felt the muscles in my legs and my stomach began to tingle and pull as Emmett began to pick up the pace.

He didn't take his eyes from mine as he kept thrusting inside of me. His breath hitched, and he swallowed hard while he stared into my eyes and said quietly, "I love you."

His head collapsed against my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulder, pulling myself tight against him. "I love you, too," I yelped back. I felt the tingle in my body rising as we moved faster and faster together. A thunderous orgasm shook me limb to limb underneath him with wave after wave of pleasure searing through my trembling frame. I screamed with total abandon and clutched his skin with frantic hands.

He cried out as my muscles contracted around him and sent him into a frenzy, pumping faster and faster until he finally made one last stroke deep inside me, and then he froze, quivering and shaking above me and inside me. He grunted and moaned deep in his chest as he twitched involuntarily before he collapsed his heavy body on me and then rolled to my side.

We were both covered with a thin sheen of sweat, and we were both breathing loud and heavy next to each other. I reached up and fanned my hair against the pillow and wiped my brow with the back of my hand, then let my hand fall across his chest.

"That was amazing," I sighed.

"No shit that was amazing," Emmett said excitedly. He picked up my hand that rested on his chest and held it between his two hands, turning it over and over in the air above us.

"Why did we ever break up?" I asked him, still panting.

"Probably because I was an asshole," he offered.

"Nah, I don't think that was it."

"No?"

"No." I argued. "I never cared that you were an asshole."

He laughed, and then said, "Good. 'Cause I don't think that's changed."

"I'm glad."

"Hey, Rose?" he asked quietly

"Yeah?"

"About that 'I love you' business…"

"Yeah?" I hesitated; worried that he was going to take it back.

"I meant it," he whispered as he turned to lie on his side, facing me.

"Me, too," I sighed as I leaned into his embrace.

"You do realize you still have on that crown, don't you?"

I reached up and felt around the rounded little bits of rhinestone and metal, and pulled it from my hair. I turned it around in my hand, letting the thing sparkle and thrown prisms around the dingy room before I leaned over and put it on the nightstand.

"We always thought we were Forks royalty before, but now they've gone and given us crowns and titles to confirm it," I said laughing as I settled back into his arms.

"Damn straight we're royalty," Emmett laughed. He swept his arm across us like a Price is Right model pointing out the unimpressively appointed hotel room and laughed even harder. "And would you take a look at what royal gets you."

He kissed my temple and held me tight against his body. I lay quietly with him just listening to him breathing. After we held each other for a while, he sat up and bent over me, carefully unbuckling the straps of my shoes and taking them off one by one, and then he tossed back the sheets for me, tucking me in.

"Remind me to kiss Alice when I see her tomorrow," Emmett said with a chuckle.

"I'll remind you, but I get to kiss her first," I said as I rolled over on top of him, really hoping he was ready for another round.

EPOV

I was sleeping soundly, more soundly than I'd slept in years, with Bella miraculously in my arms.

"Don't touch me," she blurted out in the dark. My body jerked awake when Bella's panicked words pierced the silence of that most blissful sleep.

I had experienced her sleep talking when we were kids, but I was horribly out of practice and honestly a little unsure of what I should do next. She decided for me when she started talking again.

"Grass stains…don't…grape."

She wasn't making any sense. I glanced at the clock which read 5:02 a.m. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and propped myself up on my elbow, waiting for the next stream of consciousness to come pouring from her beautiful lips.

"Emmett…hurt him…don't…popsicles…grass stains won't come out."

The last bits of the night's moonlight shone in a sliver across the bed where we laid together. I couldn't see her face, but I felt her body twitch and stretch beside me so I knew she was in distress. Her night time ramblings had gone from humorous to worrisome in a matter of seconds.

"Stop it…don't love…grape popsicles…don't…Emmett stop."

She was quiet for a few minutes and so I lay back down against my pillow, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep in. When I rested my hand on her hip and settled back in, her body tensed inexplicably and she yelled, "Stop it, James!"

I moved my hand from her hip and carefully inched away from her, afraid that my hovering would perpetuate her stress. I lay on my side with my arm tucked under my pillow watching Bella breathe. She mumbled a few more random words like, 'concert', 'converse' and 'nanosecond' before her body seemed to relax and her breathing became shallow again, and I knew she was comfortably back to sleep.

Lying on the other side of the bed so far away from her, my arms ached for her, and my heart hurt for her. I felt so helpless in that I couldn't protect her from her dreams or her past.

_Who in the hell is James? _

**End Notes:****Was it worth the wait?? I hope so!! Thanks to everyone who keeps reading and for all your comments. I really appreciate it!**

**Some exciting news!! **_**RESTORATION**_** has been nominated for a couple of awards over at The Twilight Awards. Voting starts after nominations close on July 5, so poke around over there and cast your votes. Be sure to check all categories and vote for your favorites. **

**The web addy is twilightawards(dot)this-paradise(dot)com, or you can do as Edward does and 'google it.'**


	13. Precious

**A/N: I love that you guys are so twisted about James, and I loved reading your theories on what might have happened to Bella. Thanks so much for your comments! It's really great reading your thoughts and opinions…can't wait to see what you think about this new chapter. **

**Precious, by Depeche Mode is the song for this chapter. It's a newer song, but its got that classic Depeche Mode sound and the lyrics were a perfect match for Edward's voice in this update. As always, there is a link on my bio page – check it out. **

**T…you're the BOMB! I hope you'll eventually forgive my Red Sox reference. Who in their right mind could refuse adding an obscure nod to my beloved V?**

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **_

EPOV

Bella was lying on her side, facing away from me, sleeping soundly on the far edge of my bed. I was laying on my side with my arm curled under my pillow watching her small frame rise and fall with each slow, shallow breath. I'd been watching her like this since a little after five this morning, going over her words in my head trying to untangle the puzzle she'd presented in her sleep. I reached across the space between us with my free hand and began to wind a brown curl around the end of my finger.

After nearly three hours of analyzing her sleep talking, I'd finally come to the conclusion that no matter what, the scenarios that I'd created and were playing out in a loop in my head had to be much worse than her dream. I'd convinced myself there was some actual event or meaning in her jumbled words. I felt so desperate to find out and even more desperate to comfort and protect her. I know it was foolish to feel any kind of guilt or blame because of the course her life took while I was gone, but the guilt was palpable, and it was heavy on my chest, making it hard to breathe. Someone should have protected her. Why had no one protected her?

I was getting myself all worked up over a few random words uttered by an utterly exhausted Bella. What if it was just that, a dream? What if there was no tragic event that she was reliving and there _was_ no James? But what if James _did _exist? What if –

"Bella?" Alice whispered, as she poked her head past my bedroom door. "Are you awake?"

I lifted my head up off the pillow, put my finger across my lips to shush her and then waved her into the room with my hand.

Alice came into the room fully dressed and ready for her day. She quietly closed the door behind her and tip toed over to my side of the bed. I looked over my left shoulder at her and she was flicking her fingers at me and then reached for the covers. "I'm coming in," she whispered. "Scoot over."

I did as she asked and in the process, turned over so that I was facing Alice. She was tucked in under the covers and leaning against the headboard, looking at me with her eyebrows raised and her lips pursed in a tight pout.

"What?" I whispered.

"Imagine my surprise when I went looking for my friends last night, and they were no where to be found," she huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Shh!" I whispered as I looked back over at a still sleeping Bella before turning back to Alice. "Bella asked me if we could leave and who was I to deny her simple request?"

Alice was in full pout mode, narrowing her squint and saying nothing.

I reached over, patted her leg and apologized quietly. "I'm sorry we left without telling you."

"Hmmm. So how did this happen?" she asked pointing a tiny finger in the air between me and Bella.

"Oh, believe me, this wasn't without negotiation," I chuckled.

"Bella and her damn rules," she said under her breath as she rolled her eyes.

"There are a lot of them, aren't there?"

"What? Rules?" she giggled quietly. "You'll find out soon enough."

"C'mon, Al, you can tell me," I begged.

Alice nudged her chin over at Bella and said, "Oh I'll tell you, but I think she should at least be conscious, maybe even a participant in the conversation."

"You're right," I sighed.

"So how's it going between you two?"

"I think we're off to a good start," I said as I rolled on to my back and clasped my hands behind my head.

"I need more, Cullen," she prodded as she poked me in the ribs.

"I think anything short of 'we're in love, and we want you to plan our wedding,' is going to disappoint you." I teased her.

"Ah, you know me so well," she replied.

"I do," I sighed.

"Are you happy you came home?" she asked.

"Unbelievably happy," I gushed. "You can't imagine how lucky I feel when I look at her, when I hold her. It's like we have the ultimate 'do over' and we both know it. She's just amazing."

"I know exactly what you mean about the 'do over' bit," she sighed. "If things are so good, why is she clinging to the edge of the bed with a million miles between you?"

"Yeah, about that," I murmured as I rolled over on my side, propping myself up on my elbow facing her. "Did something happen to her, Alice?"

She looked at me incredulously and then wrinkled her brow suspiciously and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Who's James?"

"She _told _you about him?" she asked with surprise in her tone.

"In a manner of speaking," I shrugged. "She was talking in her sleep last night and at first I thought it was cute, but then she got all twitchy and tense, yelling his name."

Alice looked over me and across the bed at Bella before she quietly answered me, "James is Bella's ex."

"Oh." I pretended for about a half a second that her answer was enough, but I could tell by the look on Alice's face and by the way she whispered to me that there was so much more to the story. "Something bad happened, didn't it?"

"The whole relationship was bad," she began to explain.

"How bad -" Alice surprised me when she slapped her tiny little hand across my mouth as Bella began to stir awake beside us.

"Good morning, sleepy head!!" she sang out.

"No, no, no…" Bella's voice was thick with sleep, as she pulled the covers up over her head. "What are you _doing _here?"

"I came to wake you up," Alice chirped.

Still buried underneath the covers, Bella complained, "Why am I not surprised that even though I'm in bed with a man," she threw the covers away from her face and flopped on to her back before she continued her tirade, "a man, by the way, that I may or may not be naked with, and you still feel some ridiculous sense of entitlement that makes it okay for you to barge in like this to wake me up?"

"But you're NOT naked," Alice scolded her. "And yes, a lifetime of faithful friendship and the fact that you're in bed with this man _because_ of me, entitles me to a few perks, don't you think?"

"She's right, Bella."

"What?!" Bella croaked.

"Thank you, Edward," Alice said smugly.

"You're not naked," I said with a laugh as I reached across the bed and pulled her into my arms and then kissed her forehead.

"She was impossible before, but now she's going to be down right intolerable with you encouraging this," Bella grumbled as she wiggled around in my embrace.

"I'm not encouraging anything. I'm simply stating facts."

"Er…you don't want to get too close, I need to go brush my teeth," she mumbled into the back of her hand as she slipped away from me and padded to the bathroom and shut the door. "Be right out."

I waited until I heard the water running in the bathroom and then I quickly sat up against the head board next to Alice and asked, "So what is the story on James?"

Alice looked over at the closed bathroom door, and then turned to me and whispered, "Considering she's going to be in that bathroom for a little less than 2 minutes, I don't have time to tell you the whole sordid story. The gist of it is, James is a scary, twisted, punk of an ex boyfriend that made everyone's life miserable, most of all Bella's."

"Did he hurt her?"

"A thousand different ways to Sunday," she hissed.

My blood was boiling and my adrenaline was racing just thinking about what might have happened to her. The dread of possibility consumed me as everything I'd imagined while I watched her sleep was all too real now. "Tell me," I said through my now clenched jaw.

"I really don't think there's time," she said nervously.

"If you would quit worrying about how much time it was going to take to tell me, you could have told me by now!" I seethed.

"Calm down, Edward," Alice whispered as her eyes dared from me to the bathroom door.

"I'm sorry, Alice," I said as I patted her tiny little hand that was resting in her lap. "This just completely freaks me out. That someone, _anyone_ could have caused her any kind of damage just infuriates me. Where was Emmett during all of this? How could he have let anything happen to her?"

"Oh believe me, he was there, which is probably why it all ended the way it did," she tried to explain.

"Are you _trying_ to annoy me?" I asked. "You're giving me nothing but snapshots, I want details."

The door knob on the bathroom door began to rattle and twist as Alice hurriedly said, "I don't think now's the time."

I let out a big breath of air and smiled at Bella. "Feel better?" I asked.

"I don't know if 'better' is the right word, but at least now I have minty fresh breath," she said with a cheesy smile.

"Come back to bed with us, Bella," Alice encouraged as she reached across me and patted the bed.

"Now there's something I never thought I'd hear," I said with a chuckle, pulling back the covers for Bella.

BPOV

_That damn Alice. _The girl had no boundaries…never had, never will. It had always been my big secret hope that one day I'd have a relationship that Emmett and Alice could accept, and maybe they'd even want to be friends with the guy. But I never imagined I'd get what I hoped for, much less ever dared to imagine any kind scenario that would place Alice in bed with me and a boyfriend. With me and Edward, Alice fit. Even if that meant I woke up with her in bed chatting about the weather and plans for the day with the man of my dreams, I didn't mind.

_I just called Edward my 'boyfriend'. _

I turned on the faucet in Edwards' bathroom and gazed past the mess that was looking back at me in the mirror with a huge grin on my face. I quickly picked up my hairbrush and yanked it through the rat's nest that was my hair and then hastily loaded up my tooth brush with a fair amount of toothpaste.

While I brushed my teeth, I went over the details of the previous night in my head. The reunion had been a lot of fun, Edward looked fantastic, I had spent the evening with my most favorite people on the planet, thanks to Emmett I had finally stared down the Toni Braxton curse and won, and hot damn, was that an amazing kiss in the garage. I was blushing just thinking about it now. The electricity between us was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, and I wanted more.

Thank goodness for Edward's infinite patience. My running hot and cold is even making me nuts; I can't imagine what Edward must think. I want to rip his clothes off one minute and then I'm scared beyond reason the next. I just don't want to screw this up. Good thing I'm already in therapy. Next week's session is going to be a humdinger.

I finished up brushing my teeth and took care of one last bit of bathroom business before I went back to Edward…and Alice. After one last check in the mirror, I opened the bathroom door. I had been so preoccupied by the dragon breath and the little green sweaters on my teeth that I hadn't so much as looked over at Edward while I was fussing at Alice, or while he was trying to snuggle with me.

Seeing him sitting there against the headboard with Alice, still all tucked in under the covers, in all of his bed head glory, was a thing of true beauty. They looked entirely too aware of my reentry into the bedroom. I was immediately suspicious, but then again I was dealing with Alice, so I was almost always suspicious. They both tried to play it off, but I could only guess that Alice was up to her meddlesome tricks.

"Feel better?" Edward asked.

Edward's face looked a little flushed, but that familiar crooked smile began to spread across his face as I walked to the edge of the bed. Something was definitely up, but I cheesed it up and smiled like I didn't have a clue. "I don't know if 'better' is the right word, but at least now I have minty fresh breath."

Alice had very few 'tells' but the syrupy tone in her voice when she spoke was one of them, and it made my head hurt a little bit. "Come back to bed with us, Bella," she said sweetly.

"Now there's something I never thought I'd hear," he laughed. Edward gathered up the sheet and the blankets up with one hand and winked at me, "C'mon." His deep, velvety voice made me forget about Alice and her scheming.

I crawled into bed, and slipped comfortably into Edwards's warm embrace resting my hands on his chest. I turned my face up to his and whispered, "good morning."

"Yes, it is," he whispered back and then pressed his soft lips to mine. I was so taken with the kindness and affection in his eyes, that I couldn't have closed my eyes if I wanted to. I was surprised when he kept his eyes open and trained on me as well. We looked at each other as if we weren't exactly sure it was real, as if the other might disappear if one of us looked away. He kissed me again and again as he brushed his fingers lightly across my cheek, along my jaw and then resting his hand against my neck. Just like every other kiss we'd shared in the last two days, everything around us melted away and in those moments, it was just us.

The fact that Alice was fidgeting impatiently next to Edward was completely lost on us, until she started to coo, "Awww…so sweet."

"She's still here," I whispered against his lips.

"Maybe if we ignore her, she'll go away," Edward whispered back against mine.

"Hey!" Alice yelped as she slapped her hands down on her lap.

Edward and I started laughing which definitely broke up our little love fest. He moved his arm from around my shoulder and wrapped Alice up in a big squeezey hug and peppered her face with kisses. "Are you feeling left out, Princess?" Edward teased.

"Cut it..out…Edward!" she squeaked out as she struggled to break his hold and escape his teasing kisses.

Between my howls of laughter, Alice's squealing and Edward's playful growling none of us heard the knock on the door before Emmett and Rosalie broke into the room. "Hello-ohhhh shit! Does Jasper know about this?" Emmett bellowed.

"And to think all this time I always assumed you guys were all so uptight," Rosalie said with a throaty giggle.

Rosalie and Emmett stood in the doorway, wearing the now wrinkled clothes they had on the night before, with their silly reunion crowns nestled into their seriously sexed up hair. His jacket was draped over her shoulders and she carried her strappy shoes in her hands. They looked like poster children for the walk-of-shame hall of fame.

Edward quit his assault on Alice and wrapped his left arm around my shoulder, squeezing us both tightly against him and said, "You're just jealous, Rosalie, because we didn't invite you."

"I don't need an invitation," Emmett said as he ran across the room and launched himself on the bed next to me, bouncing and knocking the three of us around and on top of each other.

"Jesus, Emmet!" I yelled as I tried to right myself, but with every wave of the mattress I kept falling into Edward's lap.

"Asshole!" Alice squawked, as she was bounced so hard that she promptly fell off the edge of the bed with a thud. "Ow."

"You are just one big, overgrown pre-schooler, Emmett." Rosalie dropped her shoes at the foot of the bed and rolled her eyes as she calmly walked over to help Alice up off the floor, asking, "Are you okay, hon?"

"I'm fine," Alice huffed as she took Rosalie's hand and popped up off the floor. She shoved back the covers and sat cross legged next to Edward. "But your boyfriend is an asshole!"

"You already said that, Al," Emmett said as he propped himself up against me and poked me in the ribs.

"You're such a menace, Emmett," growled Rosalie.

"That's not what you said last night," he roared proudly.

"Eww!" Edward, Alice and I groaned in unison.

I leaned over to Emmett and sniffed before turning my face back to Edward with my nose and brow wrinkled up and my lips puckered.

"He smells like sex, doesn't he?" Edward asked knowing what my answer would be.

I nodded as I drew my knees to my chest, wrapped my arms around my shins and leaned into Edward's chest.

"I'll have you know, I have taken two showers in the last 8 hours," Emmett tried to defend himself.

Rosalie sauntered around the edge of the bed, draped Emmett's suit jacket across the foot of the bed and then slithered into bed next to Emmett. "Yeah, but that first one was purely recreational," Rosalie interrupted. "So it doesn't count."

Edward shook his head from side to side and shook with laughter.

"You two were made for each other," Alice sighed with complete exasperation. "You speak without filters."

"Why do I have to filter what I say when I'm with you guys?" Emmett asked.

"You don't, Em" I said as I reached over and patted him on his thigh. "You. Be. You. I couldn't care less what comes out of that filthy mouth of yours."

"Thank you, Bella," he said, squeezing my small hand in his before he brought it to his lips to kiss the back of my hand.

"Where the hell did you guys sneak off to last night?" Alice asked.

Rosalie and Emmett looked at each other and then Emmett blurted out, "The good ol' Dew Drop Inn."

"Eewww!!" I squealed as I kicked my legs out in front of me, squeezing my eyes shut and letting the spasm of disgust ride itself out.

"That's gross," Alice said flatly over my squeals as she inspected her manicure.

"Classy," Edward said with a chuckle.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Alice and Emmett sang out together while the rest of us continued to laugh.

The door swung open into the room and there Jasper stood in the open door, all bug eyed and slack-jawed, unable to speak, much less move.

"Jasper!" we all chimed in unison.

He crossed his arms across his chest and stood in the doorway. You could see his wheels turning, and the different emotions flashing across his face like a slide show; shock, panic, confusion, a little bit of joy and then comprehension.

"C'mere honey," Alice said as she began to shove Edward towards me and the center of the bed so she could make room for Jasper. "There's room."

"You guys look like a swingers date gone bad," he chuckled as he crossed the room to Alice's side of the bed. He kissed Alice on the top of the head and sat down on the sliver of available mattress.

"Swingers?" Emmett said excitedly.

"Not a chance in hell, Emmett," she replied without even a hint of humor.

"I don't even want to know what I've missed," Jasper said as he shook his head from side to side.

"You haven't missed anything," I grunted as I tried to get as comfortable as I could. Considering I was wedged pretty tightly between Emmett and Edward it wasn't an easy task. Edward helped me get situated, and then wrapped his arm around my shoulders. _Flash!_

Esme had snuck her little head and her trusty camera around the door and snapped a picture.

"Hey!" Emmett hollered.

"I have been listening to you guys cackle and chatter all morning, I had to come up and see if it looked as much fun as it sounded," Esme said as she leaned her shoulder against the door frame.

"Wanna join us?" Emmett said suggestively.

"Don't you use that tone with my Mother!" Edward fired back.

I reached over and smacked Emmett on the shoulder.

"As much fun as that looks, it seems that you've run out of room. Poor Jasper looks like he's barely hanging on over there," Esme said. She held up her little camera, and took a couple of steps into the room. "Now everybody squeeze together and say cheese!"

We did exactly as she said. _Flash!_

She looked at the little LCD screen and said, "Aw. Now that's a nice one."

"So what's the plan, Esme?" Alice asked.

"Well, you guys should probably get out of bed, come downstairs and have breakfast – your Father is making your favorite banana pancakes," she said proudly. "And then I need all of you to help get ready for the barbeque. We've got lots to do."

"Mmm…banana pancakes," Edward said with the excitement of a child.

"You got any chocolate chips?" Emmett asked anxiously.

"There is no way to have banana pancakes in this house without chocolate chips," Esme replied sweetly.

With that Emmett quickly hopped over Rosalie and landed on his feet beside the bed, pulling her to her feet after him. He rushed out of the room, after grabbing his jacket off the bed and letting Rosalie bend down to get her shoes.

"You better shower first, Emmett. I don't want to smell you across the breakfast table!" Edward yelled after him.

"Yeah, yeah," Emmett's voice trailed off down the hallway.

"Can we help, Esme?" Jasper asked politely.

"We've got some fresh oranges that need to be squeezed. Do you think you can handle it?" she asked. "Carlisle is very particular about his orange juice."

"I think between the two of us, we can manage," Jasper said as he stood up from the bed and held his hand out for Alice.

"Definitely," Alice replied. She sprang out of bed and danced along behind Jasper stopping to kiss Esme on the cheek as she passed.

Esme followed behind them, but then quickly returned. She leaned in through the doorway, placing her hand on the door knob, with a knowing smile on her face she said, "Breakfast will be ready in about 20 minutes. Take your time."

"Thanks, Mom," Edward said as he moved his arm from around my shoulders to my waist and took my right hand that was resting on his thigh in his. Esme quietly shut the door behind her.

"They're a little overwhelming, aren't they? I asked quietly while Edward turned my hand over in his and threaded our fingers together.

"Maybe for some people."

"But not you."

"No. They don't scare me," he said confidently.

"Not even Alice?" I questioned.

"Well…maybe I'm a little scared of Alice."

"We should _all_ be a little scared of Alice," I said as I turned to face him, swinging my legs over his lap and put my left arm around his neck. My fingers flirted with the messy wisps of hair at the back of his neck and let my eyes wander across his angelic face. His clear, emerald green eyes were intense and lively as he looked at me.

"So today's a busy day. Do we have a plan?"

Edward took my hand and placed it up on his shoulder, pulling me closer to him with both arms around my waist. "First order of business is a proper kiss," he smirked and inched closer until our lips met.

A spark of electricity shot through my body as our lips began to slowly move together. I knit my fingers into his hair as I parted my lips for him, inviting his soft, warm tongue into my mouth. He accepted my invitation, gently sweeping his tongue across my own, deepening the kiss. Edward's hand slid from my waist, past my hip and continued to my thigh. His warm, strong hand moving on my bare skin sent shivers down my spine and left a trail of goose bumps along its path.

I pressed my hand against his chest, pushing slightly, breaking the kiss and with ragged breath said, "They'll be waiting for us downstairs."

"Let them wait," he said breathlessly as he reclaimed my mouth with his own.

I pushed him away, giggling against his persuasive lips, "We can't. There's going to be a house full of people here in a few hours, including my dad. As much as I'd love to lie in bed with you all day, kissing those perfect lips and everything attached to them, we've got things to do and people to see."

He dropped his head against my shoulder and sighed, "You're right."

"Just let me grab some stuff out of your bathroom. and I'll go down to Alice's room to get ready," I said as I got up and headed towards the bathroom.

He grumbled as he begrudgingly crawled across the bed after me. He walked behind me to the bathroom, snaking his arms around my waist and resting his chin against the crook of my neck. I stood at the sink, packing up my toiletries and the rest of my personal stuff. I looked up in the mirror to see Edward snuggled up behind me, pouting. His hair was perfectly tousled, his strong arms were flexed at having been wound tightly around my waist, and his eyes stared intently back at me with a definitive spark behind them.

With all of my things gathered up in my hands, I twisted around in his embrace, kissed him gently and said, "Don't pout. I'll see you downstairs."

He kissed me again, and let me untangle myself from his arms, "Fifteen minutes?"

"Fifteen minutes," I affirmed and left him to get ready.

EPOV

I mindlessly ran my hand against the morning scruff along my jaw as I shut the bathroom door. My cheek was still warm and flushed from the heat of her skin. I reached in to the shower and turned on the water before I undressed quickly and got in, letting the cold water rain down on me. She had only left me minutes ago and yet every fiber of my being ached for her. My mind was flooded with thoughts of her. My body longed to have her. My heart was full and beating for her. My spirit was content in the energy that enveloped me when I was near her. And the protector in me was ready to fight for her.

Our first night together hadn't been what I had hoped, but I was prepared and ready to do whatever it took to earn her trust _and_ her love. I had asked myself a thousand times over the last ten years if I had made the biggest mistake of my life when I left Bella and stayed away so long. I could answer that question now with an unequivocal and resounding 'yes'. I couldn't save her from her past or take away what this James had done, but I could resolve that I would do everything in my power to keep her safe from this moment on.

I finished up in the bathroom, dressed quickly and headed downstairs. Dad was still standing over the griddle, making the banana pancakes I remembered so fondly from my childhood. Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie were sitting at the kitchen table eating and chatting casually, and Mom was sitting at the bar, working diligently on her lists.

Dad was serving up my plate when Bella walked into the kitchen and my heart beat wildly in my chest. Her hair was braided in two thick ponytails that slipped over her shoulders, and she was wearing an old, well loved Mariner's baseball cap. She had on loose fitting overalls that were rolled up at her ankles, red converse tennis shoes and a plain white t-shirt. She was clearly dressed for comfort and had a careless air about the way she carried herself, and yet, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on.

Alice berated her from across the room for wearing the 'ratty ass overalls', and of course Emmett defended her, but in true Bella form, she didn't seem to care. I loved that she knew when it was time to let Alice win, and when it was okay to just be. She stepped up to the counter beside me for her breakfast, and the sweet smell of her skin and her hair filled up my nose and my lungs. She literally left me breathless as she breezed past me to get some juice and join the others around the table.

We all ate quickly and then in preparation for the barbeque, we took our assignments from Mom.

"Everyone is arriving at 11:00 a.m., food should be ready at noon and then the game starts at…dear, what time does the game start?" she asked Dad.

"1:25," he answered quickly.

"Thank you," she replied. "Girls, I need you in the kitchen with me. Boys, here's your list."

She handed me the list, and we headed outside. We spent most of the morning washing off the patio furniture, setting up the sound system and choosing the music, icing down the beer and sodas, cleaning the grill, and prepping all the meat with Emmett's famous barbeque rub. I waited all morning for a chance to talk to Emmett alone but the opportunity never came. There was no way I was going to get to Alice today, so I thought I might fare better trying to get the real story about this James guy from him.

The doorbell started ringing shortly after 11. Bella's dad, Charlie was the first to arrive. Eric, Newton, Ben, Angela and Jessica showed up shortly after, and then some old family friends arrived. Everyone was scattered about the backyard, mingling, chatting and laughing. Bella and I seemed to circulate around each other a lot during the morning, but didn't have much of an opportunity for more than a quick touch or a chaste kiss. I finally spied Emmett across the lawn at his post as grill master. He was stoking the coals on the barbeque pit, sipping his beer, and he was alone.

I walked up to Emmett. and he was cursing under his breath.

"How's it going?"

"Stupid coals, man. I got a hot spot right here," he said holding his hand over the pit.

I clapped my hand across his shoulder and encouraged him, "Don't worry about it, I'm sure the steaks will be great."

"Oh, I know the steaks will be good, this just makes it a little tricky."

"Hey, Em?"

He grunted his reply, turning up his beer bottle to take a swig.

"I need your help with something."

"Name it," he replied.

"I need you to tell me about James," I said shoving my hands in my pockets and shifting on my feet anxiously.

"James who?" he asked as he shut the pit door.

"The James that would have given Bella nightmares, causing her to scream out his name _and_ yours," I said hoping to do more than jog his memory. I wanted every detail about this guy and inciting Emmett was the quickest route to getting what I wanted. I could see by the look on his face that I had caught him completely off guard and that I was going to get a very colorful response.

His nostrils flared and his chest puffed up as he filled his lungs to capacity, holding his breath for quite a while before exhaled loudly. "What do you know?" he asked in a low grumble.

"I know he is an ex-boyfriend, and that he wasn't good for her, and that she talked about him in her sleep last night."

"That's it?"

"Yes," was all I said, because I knew instinctively that a short answer was all this provoked Emmett could process.

"James was the worst thing that ever happened to Bella...to all of us really. He's a mother fucking Eddie Haskell, prick of a human being, and I'm only sorry that his nose and a couple of ribs were the only things I broke," he seethed.

"Go on," I encouraged him to tell me the whole story.

"At first, we thought he was great. He was pretty cool, and Bella seemed to really like him, which was kind of unusual. He seemed like a really nice guy, but then after a couple weeks, he went all Jekyll-and-Hyde-crazy, and turned into a possessive, manipulative bastard who did everything in his power to cut Bella off from everything she loved. She never saw it, and the whole thing caused a shitload of issues for me and Al. He had a problem with her job, her co-workers, her volunteer work, and what was worse was that he had a big problem with us. We saw her less and less, and when we did see her, it was like she was panicked being anywhere without him. We tried talking to her, but it just made her mad and seemed to prove whatever idiotic point he planted in her head that we were jealous and were out to get him. She actually defended him. I'm telling you, James was one bad dude, and he had Bella completely snowed."

Emmett started opening containers and foil packets and gathering up his grill tools in preparation to put all the steaks on the grill, which he did with the flourish of a master chef.

I knew he hadn't gotten to the worst part of the story, but my stomach was already in knots.

"A couple of summers ago there was some big music festival at Marymoor Park, and Alice and I had talked Bella into a 'tres amigo' date. We were having such a kick ass time together, just like it had always been with us. By then Al and I had learned to just appreciate the time we did get with her because it was so rare. We'd quit trying to convince her that he was the devil because it just made things awkward."

"I bet," I interjected.

Emmett took a sip of his beer and kept talking, "So we were laughing and playing around, when out of nowhere James showed up, and he was pissed. I thought it was funny as hell that he was all bent because Bella had gone and done exactly what she wanted rather than wait for him to tell her what to do. He kept trying to talk her into leaving with him, and she kept telling him 'no'. His face was all red, and his eyes went all wild, but I wasn't too worried about it, I mean I was right there. What the hell was he going to do? And I definitely didn't think he'd lose his shit in such a public place, but I was so wrong." Emmett took the last draw on his beer, tossing the empty bottle into the trash and then went to his secret stash ice chest hidden under the counter for a fresh one.

"Toss me one of those, will you?" I looked around the yard, looking for Bella. She was sitting with Charlie on the old glider near the edge of the property. "What did he do?"

Emmett lobbed a beer at me, and cracked one open for himself before he went over to check the steaks as he continued his story. "He kept getting louder and louder and the veins in his neck looked like they were going to explode. I couldn't believe his carefully guarded mask was coming undone in such a spectacular cluster fuck kind of way, but I was so pleased that it was. Bella finally saw him for the sadistic punk that he was."

I twisted off the cap on my beer and took a long draw, and then asked, "Then what?"

He closed the grill door again, and turned to lean against the side counter and sighed before he could continue, "Then he completely flipped. He grabbed Bella's arm and was trying to pull her up and away with him. Before I could even react, Alice was up on her feet and in his face screaming at him, trying to pry Bella's arm out of his grip. Alice is so tiny, and James was so amped up, he gave her one good push, and she went flying.'

"Are you kidding me?!" I chocked out over a swig of my beer as I left up. I felt ready to fight.

"Yeah, I lost it. I shoved Bella out of the way and proceeded to kick that sorry bastard's ass. He did get a couple of good shots in though before I beat him senseless. The police came and then the ambulance checked us all out and stitched me up, I spent a couple of hours in the pokey, but it was so worth it."

'You went to jail?" I said as I took another sip of my beer.

"Mm hmm…it was no big deal. You should have seen his face when I went after him," he said with a broad smile spread across his face. "It was kind of beautiful."

"I bet," I said. How I wished I had been the one to fight for her that day in the park. But then again, if I had been here with her, present in her life, she would have never had anyone like James preying on her.

"She had a hard time after all that though," he said thoughtfully. "She found out all kinds of crap about him after they broke up. And then, with me and Alice, she felt super guilty for weeks, hovering over me and my stupid black eye and busted lip."

"How long ago was this?" I asked trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Eh, couple of years," he offered. "But I don't think she's ever trusted herself to choose the right kind of guys since then. He totally conned her, and she felt used and like a fool."

"Did he ever hit her?" I asked cautiously, afraid of how the answer would affect me, but needing to know the answer anyway.

"She swears to this day that he only laid his hands on her that once, but she was so not herself while she was in that mess of a relationship that I think she had always been too ashamed to really tell the truth about it all," Emmett said and then turned his attention back to the grill. "She was so isolated when she was with him, we didn't ever see anything, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. There's a lot crap that went down between the two of them, but after it all blew up and she was so broken, I didn't have the heart to ask her any questions."

The thought of someone like James taking so much away from her, just incensed me. No wonder she was so skittish. All this time I thought my only challenge in winning Bella back had been our time apart, but after hearing all of this, I knew this was going to be a much bumpier road. "Where is he now?" I asked Emmett.

"I don't know. We never saw him again," he said as he attended to the steaks. "Can you believe the pansy never pressed charges?"

"How could _he _press charges? He attacked her!" My eyes were fixed on her across the lawn as she talked and laughed with Charlie. She twisted on of her thick braids around her fingers, paying all of her attention to her dad.

"True. But I beat the living shit out of him, and he ended up spending the night in the E.R." he quipped.

"How in the hell did all of this happen," I asked, completely exasperated.

"You should really be asking her about all this, my brother," he suggested. "It's her history, not mine."

He was right. At some point, this was going to come up. It was inevitable that we would talk about our history apart. I felt so sad that this was a part of her past, and guilty that I wasn't there to protect her, and then something clicked in my head.

I cleared my throat and swirled the last of my beer around in the bottle and asked, "That's why you're so protective of her isn't it?"

Emmett closed the grill and turned around to face me, "You're damn straight that's why," his face was as serious as stone when he answered me. "That slimy, little prick put his hands on _both_ of them. It won't ever happen again."

His eyes showed the pain and responsibility that he felt for James' actions and his inability to keep them safe. I felt like I needed to let him off the hook by telling him, "You didn't fail them, Em."

"It sure felt like it," he said as he tipped his beer to his lips and swallowed the last of it.

"How's it coming, boys?" Dad bellowed as he started across the lawn towards us.

"I need about 10 minutes, and we'll be ready," Emmett answered, shuffling all manner of food across the grill.

"Well let's move it along, because the game starts in about 15 minutes," Dad encouraged. "I don't want to miss the first pitch."

"Nobody is going to miss anything, Carlisle," Emmett promised. "We're almost done."

"Who's the guy in the Red Sox hat talking to Jasper and Alice?" Dad asked.

Emmett and I replied in unison, "Newton."

"Hmm… don't know how I feel having a Sox fan in the house," he said slapping Emmett on the back and heading back to the house. "Carry on."

Emmett finished up on the grill, and we took everything in to the kitchen where Mom was waiting. She had set up an impressive spread on every available inch of counter or table top space. She sent me back outside to tell everyone that lunch was ready and to start sending them in to fix their plates. I did as she asked, and then walked over to where Bella was sitting with her dad. I shook Charlie's hand, and Bella jumped up taking to my side and slipping her hand in mine. Charlie and I made small talk about the game and baseball in general as we made the short walk across the backyard and to the kitchen.

EmPOV

Everyone ate lunch and then camped out in front of the big screen TV to watch the Red Sox kill the Mariners. In the middle of the sixth inning, I was so gutted by how bad my team was playing, that I gave up watching all together. Of course, Newton was happier than a pig in shit, but I wasn't going to sit there anymore watching the Mariner's going down in flames.

"Hey, Edward!" I craned my neck around behind me looking for him on the couch.

"Yes, sir?" he answered quickly. He was sitting on the far side of the couch with Bella curled up against him.

"Do you still have all your baseball gear in the garage?"

"I'm sure it's still there," Edward answered.

"Who's up for a game?" I asked excitedly, hopping up from the floor.

"YES!" Alice hissed from across the room and made a mad dash up the stairs.

"Oh no," Bella moaned as she dragged her hands over the bill of her cap, pulling it down over her eyes. "No organized sports, Emmett!"

"Where are you going, Alice?" Jasper called after her.

"I'm changing my shoes!" she yelled from her room. "I'll be right back."

"C'mon, it's not that organized. Just a little game of yard ball, nothing too competitive, I promise," I assured her. I walked through the kitchen to the garage to look for bats, a couple of balls and whatever gloves I could scrounge up.

I could hear Bella complaining about the last time she played anything sporty with me. I laughed as I banged around in the garage for just a few minutes until I found what I was looking for. I returned to the living room triumphant with everything we'd need to field a game.

Charlie, Yorkie, and Ben were already on their feet ready to play. Alice was sitting on the stairs tying up her shoelaces and Rosalie was wrapping an elastic band around a silky, blonde ponytail.

Edward was trying to coax Bella into playing by using a genius mix of encouragement and laying down personal challenge as he spoke to her. He finally gave up on convincing her, and just picked her up off the couch and swung her over his shoulder, carrying her out to the backyard ass first. Everyone else followed him out to our own perfectly manicured field of dreams.

The guys and I marked off a regulation size diamond, placing some left over Chinette plates down for the bases. Bella and Alice dragged my secret beer chest from the little grill patio over near where we were playing.

"What are you doing with my beer?" I yelled from second base.

"If you're going to make me play this stupid game, I need a beer," Bella snapped back. "So I'm stealing yours."

"C'mon Bells, it'll be fun," Charlie said. He was bending and stretching out, pulling his knees to his chest and then shaking it all out.

"Don't you dare trample my pansies, Emmett Cullen!" Esme shouted from the deck.

"No one's going to trample your pansies, dear. We won't be anywhere near your flower beds," Carlisle said, as he started digging through the gloves, trying to help the girls find a good fit. "This is so exciting. I can't remember the last time we had a yard full of kids like this."

"I want to be team captain," Alice chirped.

"Fine by me. You pick a team, and I'll pick a team," I said staking the last of the paper plates in place. "You ready to get your butt kicked, Brandon?"

"In your dreams, Cullen," she sang out.

Alice picked Edward, Ben, Charlie, Newton, and Jessica, while I picked Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle, Yorkie, and Bella, and Angela played catcher for both teams. I would have picked Newton, but Carlisle said he would strike if he had to play with the Red Sox kid.

Alice's team took the field first, with her pitching. I sent Bella up to bat first, coaching her three quick swings and eventual strikes. Jasper and Carlisle got on base, and I couldn't believe it, but that silly little Jessica caught a fly pop and got me out on my first at bat. Yorkie hit a double and pushed Jasper and Carlisle home, but then the dumbass got hot boxed between third base and home on the very next play, and Newton got him out.

Carlisle pitched for our team, and I had to think strategically where to put Bella on the field where she could do the least amount of harm. I put her beside me sharing the shortstop position thinking that might be the safest bet. She was terrible at baseball, hell she was terrible at most everything that had to do with hand eye coordination, but I sure loved that she tried.

We played about four good innings before everything came to a screeching halt.

At the top of the fifth inning, Newton was up to bat first, and he hit some weak grounder to Rosalie at third base, making it safely to first. Jessica went next and hit a slow ground ball straight to Bella.

"Throw it here, B! Here!" I shouted as I ran to cover second base, hoping against hope that she was going to get the ball to me in time to tag Newton out. "Hurry, Bella! Right here…throw it!!"

Bella scooped up the ball, and of course fumbled with it, trying desperately to get rid of it, but before she had the chance, Newton blew past second base and took a far outside lane on his way to third. He was looking over his shoulder talking trash to me as he passed.

"Mike! Look out!" Rosalie shouted.

I looked up in time to see Bella freeze, clutching the ball in her hand and her eyes open wide with the understanding that she was about to get knocked on her ass.

Newton was going so fast and was too busy taunting me to even notice that Bella was in his path, and he went barreling smack into her. Legs and arms went flying and they tumbled end over end finally settling a few yards away from where the train wreck started.

Newton was lying on his back, holding his shoulder moaning, but Bella didn't move. She was all curled up on her side, with her arms bent up tight against her chest, glove in hand, lying perfectly still.

"Bella!' I yelled as I made my way to her, crouching beside her, afraid to touch her anywhere. I looked across the field in a panic to see Edward in a dead run in my direction. Charlie looked just as panicked as I was as he and Carlisle closed in on us as well.

Carlisle nudged me out of the way, laying his hands on her, and talking to her in his soothing doctor voice, "Bella? Bella…can you hear me? Bella, I need you to wake up."

"Is she okay?" Alice asked, clinging to Jasper as she hovered above us.

"I don't know yet, Alice. That's what I'm trying to find out," Carlisle responded in a very calm but clinical tone.

Edward kneeled on the other side of her, begging, "wake up, Bella. C'mon sweetheart, wake up."

She didn't move.

**End Notes: "James is one bad dude." Oh how I love Emmett. So many of you had a definitive reaction to the mention of James in the previous chapter...was it what you expected? I can't wait to hear your comments on this one. Thanks for reading!**

**I wish everyone a happy August 2!! I know I'll be taking the weekend to read Breaking Dawn – I only hope SM doesn't' crush us all with too many twists and turns, or leave us with a human, Edward-less Bella. Here's hoping E & B truly get their happy ending! **


	14. Everything

**A/N: Sorry for making you wait so long for the update, I had to take some time to recover from BD and get back into my Twilight groove. I never intended to leave poor Bella passed out in the grass for nearly a month – I promise!! I don't have any plans to abandon the story, so no need to worry. I love, love, love reading all of your comments. Thanks so much for sticking with me and for telling me what you think. Keep 'em coming!! **

**The chapter title for this one has been pretty organic during the writing process. It started out being "**_**Be Gentle with Me**_**," by the Boy Least Likely To and then drifted to Katy Perry's, "**_**I Kissed a Girl**_**", then for a couple of days it was "**_**You are the Woman**_**," by Josh Kelley, before I finally settled on "**_**Everything**_**," by Jeremy Camp. You can check the link to the audio file on my profile page. **

**Big hugs and special thanks to my friend and beta, Tigress for all of her support!**

**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **

Chapter 14: Everything

EPOV

"Dad?"

"Edward, I know you're worried son, but you're going to have to give me a minute," he said without looking up at me. He carefully rolled Bella on to her back, took off the baseball glove and her hat handing them to Emmett and uncurled her arms away from her body. He put his ear to her chest, and then placed a gentle finger at her neck to check her pulse.

He balled up a fist and with his knuckles rubbed roughly on her sternum, while he continued to talk loudly to her, trying to wake her. "Bella, I need you to open your eyes."

Careful to stay out of Dad's way, I picked up her hand and gently stroked the back of it with my thumb. She looked so small and frail lying there in the grass.

Emmett was white as a sheet across from me, clutching Bella's crumpled hat in his big hand with her glove pressed tight against him. "No way," he croaked quietly.

"What?!" The panic in my voice was thick.

He pulled the glove away from his chest and opened it, reaching into the pocket and pulling out the weathered ball. "Looks like Newton's out. I can't believe she held on to the damn ball."

"Not now, Emmet!" Alice smacked the back of his head as she chastised him.

We all cracked nervous smiles at Emmett's revelation, but quickly got back to the business of worrying about Bella. Charlie's concern was evident on his face and in his eyes as he kneeled just above Bella's head, tenderly stroking her hair.

"Bella!" Dad yelled as he clapped his hands loudly just inches from her face.

Her eyelids fluttered briefly and then shut again.

"There you go. Good girl, Bella," Dad said relieved. "Can you open your eyes for me?"

A wrinkle worked its way across her brow, and she slowly blinked her eyes open. Everyone hovering over her heaved a collective sigh of relief as her confused eyes darted around from face to face, then fixed her eyes on Emmett. "What happened?"

"You took a charge like a champ and got Newton out," Emmett said proudly, holding up the ball in one hand and rubbed her leg with the other. "Of course, you got yourself knocked out in the process, but you're alright now."

She rolled her eyes at him and grunted softly, pushing up on her elbows as she tried to sit up. Her hand slipped behind her and Emmett and I both reached to catch her. "Whoa."

"Slow down there, Bella, you've got a concussion. You should really just lie still a bit longer, and let me take a look at you," Dad said, putting his hands on her shoulders and gently forcing her back down on the grass.

"Yeah, okay," she agreed melting into the soft grass beneath her, looking up at Charlie. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, Bells," he breathed with relief. "You okay?"

"I've been better."

"Does anything hurt?" Dad asked.

She turned her head to look at me and replied, "Just my head…and my pride."

"Got a bit of a headache I imagine," I said to her as I brought her hand to my lips, and then pressed the back of her hand to my cheek.

She held her free hand up to her face, pressing her thumb and index finger together and squeezed one eye shut, "just a little one."

Dad checked her pupils and her pulse again before he gave her permission to sit up. I carefully reached around her shoulders and helped her.

"There you go," Dad encouraged. "Now you sit here for just a minute while I go check on Mr. Red Sox. From the looks of things, I think you may have dislocated his shoulder."

"Damn girl," Emmett said quietly and with a chuckle. "Who knew you were such a brute?"

Bella cut her eyes over at Emmett, and crossed her legs, Indian style. Dad looked at me reassuringly and patted me on the back as he moved away from us.

Erik, Jessica, Jasper, and Ben had been attending to Mike until Dad could make his way over to check him out. Mike was still rolling around on the ground, holding his elbow across his stomach and moaning in pain.

Bella slowly looked over her shoulder and asked, "Do you think he's okay?"

"Eh, dislocated bones only hurt when they're out of socket. Once Carlisle pops that sucker back in, he'll be right as rain." Emmett reached up and was swiping blades of grass and other bits of dirt and such off her back and shoulders as he spoke to her. He looked over at me and asked, "You okay there, Edward?"

I didn't take my eyes off Bella as I shifted off the knee I'd been kneeling on and sat down hard on the ground beside her. "I'm good."

"Oh, Edward, look at you. You look scared to death," Alice giggled.

"Shut up, Alice. I do not."

"Uh yeah…you do," Rosalie agreed.

Bella reached up with one hand and placed her hand on my cheek. "I'm fine, Edward," she said sweetly. Her eyes searched mine; assuring me that she was okay. "It's just a bump on the head."

I let out the breath I'd been holding since I saw her go down, and dropped my head against her shoulder in relief. "Please don't ever do that to me again."

"No more baseball…or concussions. I promise," she quietly giggled as she gently combed her fingers through my hair, comforting me. She had just been knocked out cold, and she was comforting me. Alice was right. I was scared to death and evidently a big baby to boot.

"Aauugh!!" Mike's scream made us all jerk our heads around in his direction.

"Now you know that shit hurts," Emmett winced, rubbing his own shoulder and whistling through his teeth.

Dad stood over Mike with both of his hands gripping his outstretched arm having snapped his shoulder back into the socket. He helped Mike get to his feet, and they started walking back to the house.

"You guys help Bella get into the house and put her on the couch," he instructed. "She'll need to rest."

Charlie, Emmett and I scrambled to our feet and then at the same time we all reached to help Bella stand. Three grown men, all unapologetically jockeying for the chance to help the damsel in distress was admittedly a little overwhelming for her. She looked at us like we were all nuts as she brushed all six hands away, "you guys, I'm fine. I can do it on my own."

We all let go, but kept our hands floating around an invisible perimeter just in case she didn't have it. She took one cautious step on her own and staggered slightly before she admitted, "oof! Maybe I do need help."

Emmett and I both reached for her at the same time, both of us bending and reaching for her legs to pick her up and both of us catching the other's determined eyes. Abruptly, we stood up straight, silently negotiating who would carry her in. Who would be in charge of taking care of her? This had been Emmett's job, and I was keenly aware that I was treading on his territory. Then of course there was Charlie beside me, chomping at the bit to be the one to take care of his own daughter. None of us knew how to give in, so we just stood there looking at each other waiting for someone to bow out.

"Oh for Christ's sake, will you guys knock off this prince charming bullshit and get her inside already?" Rosalie said bluntly. "You can have this pissing contest later."

Bella snorted a little and clasped her arms around my shoulders, as Emmett gave me an approving nod, passing the torch, so-to-speak, to me. I dipped down, curled my arms behind her knees and her waist, lifted her into my embrace, and carried her across the lawn. She tightened her grip around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder as we walked. Alice, Rosalie, Charlie, Emmett, and Angela followed behind us.

Dad had Mike sitting down at the kitchen table and then went to go find him a sling. Everyone crowded around him, asking him how he was doing. His eyes were red and puffy, but he seemed no worse for the wear. Emmett had been right that he'd feel better once that shoulder was put back in place.

I carefully laid Bella down on the couch, slipped my arms from under her and covered her up with the thin, chenille blanket that was folded across the arm of the couch. I moved to the foot of the couch and untied her shoes and gently took them off. Bella scooted over on the couch and patted the cushion beside her, encouraging me to join her.

Mom snuck up behind me, bringing Bella a cold wash cloth. She nudged me out of her way, pacifying her need to be the caretaker and fuss over Bella. She placed the cold wash cloth on her forehead and tucked her under the blanket. "Here you go, sweetie. Do you need an Ibuprofen?"

"Yes, please."

"Be right back." Mom adjusted the cold compress and patted Bella on the cheek before she went off on her little errand.

I sat down on the couch next to Bella, put one hand on the back of the couch and the other on the edge of the seat cushion and leaned in, stealing a quick kiss. "You okay?" I asked her.

"I'm better. Are you?" she asked with a sly smirk dancing across her perfect, pink lips.

"I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

"I'm afraid not," she said, reaching up and brushing my hair off my forehead and then tracing her fingers along my temple to my jaw. "In case you've forgotten, I'm kind of a klutz, so this kind of thing happens on a regular basis. I hope you can handle it."

I scoffed at her warning, "Pffft. Today was a fluke. I'm solid as a rock. I can handle anything as long as it means being with you."

"You might live to regret having said that."

I moved my hand to cradle her face, leaned forward and stared deep into her eyes. I whispered, "never."

Bella tilted her chin up and pressed her lips to mine.

"You know, she really should rest," Charlie said in a disapproving, fatherly tone. I quickly twisted around, jumping up from the couch to find him standing at the foot of the couch with his arms crossed. I shoved my hands in my pockets and shifted uncomfortably on my feet, sweating it out just a bit before I saw a sly smile spread across his face.

"Dad…" Bella whined.

"Doctor's orders," he said with a chuckle, as he reached over and patted her feet. "You doin' okay kiddo?"

"I'm fine, Dad."

I stepped out of the way so Bella could have some time with her dad. Charlie moved couch-side and sat down beside her.

I stood in the doorway leaning against the door frame watching Bella and Charlie talk. I was fighting the urge to hover. Between finding out her past troubles with James and her getting hurt playing baseball, my protective nature was completely exposed. I knew she was safe now, but I was completely out of my depth here. There was nothing about this situation I could control or repair. I was going to have to come to terms with the fact that I couldn't save her, but I could love her.

_I need a beer._ I went outside, raided Emmett's cooler and then started walking around the yard, pulling up the Chinette bases and picking up all the baseball stuff. Once I had everything gathered up and in a pile on the porch, I sat down on the steps, rested my elbows on my knees and took a long, slow draw on the cold beer.

"Pretty exciting day, don't you think?"

I glanced over my shoulder to find my mom sneaking up behind me. "Hey, Mom."

"Your dad and I have had such a great time having all of you kids here this weekend," she said as she sat down beside me and wrapped her arm through the crook of my elbow. "I've been on cloud nine having so many to take care of and to feed."

"I'm glad you guys have enjoyed it. I've loved being home again, and with all of them," I said, tipping my chin over my shoulder towards the house.

"But especially with Bella," she said leading the conversation.

I nodded my head.

Mom stared off across the lawn and said quietly, "Second chances don't come along very often, so if this is what you want, if _she's_ what you want, you better hold on tight and never let her go."

"I'll never let her go again," I said while I picked at the soggy label on my beer bottle.

"That's my boy," she said nudging my shoulder. "You okay?"

"I am. I'm excited…about lots of things. I'm thrilled to be home. I'm looking forward to work and getting this new office set up. I'm excited about buying a new house and getting my new car tomorrow. And I can't wait to spend every possible moment getting to know Bella all over again."

"Hmm…sounds nice," she sighed.

"She's everything I've ever wanted, Mom." I rolled the beer bottle between my hands and looked up at my mom, "I'm going to marry her someday."

My mother reached up and held my face in her tiny little hands, and whispered, "I know." She gave me a wink, patted my cheeks and kissed me on my nose. "I've always known."

The screen door opened and slammed shut behind us. "Don't mind me, I'm just looking for a beer," Emmett said as he rushed down the steps and made his way to the ice chest.

"Thanks, Mom." I said sincerely before I turned my attention to Emmett. "Hey Em? I need your help. I want to surprise Bella."

Emmett stood on the bottom step, leaned against the railing and cracked open his beer. "Have you forgotten how much she hates surprises?"

"It's not that kind of surprise, but I do need your help."

Mom excused herself and went back inside. "I'll go check on the infirmed and see if I can do anything for them."

"See ya, Esme," Emmett called after her. He shifted against the railing and took a big swig of his beer. "So, what can I do you for?"

"I've got to pick up my new car tomorrow, and I wanted to be able to coordinate the trip back to Seattle. Maybe I can meet you guys somewhere along the way?"

Emmett shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Sure. You can text me once you're on the road, and we can meet up. What time are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure. We can figure it out tomorrow."

"Cool," he pushed himself off the railing and held out his hand to me. "C'mon, let's go put this crap back in the garage and check on Bella and the dip shit Newton."

I slapped my hand into his and let him pull me up off the steps.

Charlie walked out the door as Emmett and I were making our way in with all the gear. "Hey, Charlie, are you heading out?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah," he said rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. "The game is over, I couldn't think about eating one more thing and Bella's resting, so I'm going to leave her to it"

I put down the things I was carrying and extended my hand to him. I shook his hand and then I said, "Thanks for coming Charlie. I know it made Bella really happy to have you here."

"Walk with me for a minute, Edward. I have a few things I want to talk to you about before I go."

"Yes sir," I responded respectfully. I wasn't surprised that Charlie would have something to say about me seeing Bella again, but I wasn't exactly expecting a full blown conversation. The whole time I'd know the man, he barely said more than a sentence or two any time we were in the same room together.

"See ya later, Charlie!" Emmett called after him, and then he turned to me with a silly smirk. "Later, dude. Good luck."

Emmett was easy to ignore, but the police chief was a different story. I followed Charlie down the porch steps and across the lawn to his cruiser.

"So I hear you and Bella are jumping back on the horse?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, we are," I said nervously.

"Good. That's real good." Charlie stopped by the car, crossed his arms and nodded his head in approval.

"I think so too, sir." I was relieved that this new development seemed to be something he was happy about. Well Charlie never really seemed happy about anything, but at least he seemed to approve.

Charlie looked at the ground and continued, "A lot has changed in her life since you knew her. Are you a patient man, Edward?"

"I believe I am."

He reached up and clapped me on the back, and with a smile on his face he said, "Good, 'cause you're gonna need to be. She's wound a little tight these days, if you know what I mean."

"I do, sir. Thanks for the tip though," I said with a chuckle.

"Okay, then," he nodded once more and reached for the door handle. "Well, welcome back and you have a safe trip to Seattle."

"Thank you, sir." I stood there for a minute watching Charlie climb in the car, and start it up. Before he shut the cruiser door I said to him, "I'm going to take care of her, Charlie. You don't have to worry."

He rolled down the window, shut the door and put the cruiser in reverse, rolling back slowly before he replied. "I know you will, son. If anyone would do right by Bella, it would be you. I'm not worried."

There was no mistaking that blessing that he had just gifted me. I don't remember Charlie ever really being my ally when I was a kid, but it was a big relief that he supported me…us, now. I stood there in the lawn, with my hand held up waving as Charlie drove away.

BPOV

The ringing in my ears had finally faded, and although my head wasn't throbbing anymore, there was still a nagging ache at my temples. The Ibuprofen seemed to be working its magic. Everyone had finally quit hovering, and all of the guests were saying their goodbyes. Ben, Angela, Jessica and Erik had all come to see me on the couch before they left, while Mike, bless his little over achieving heart, waived from a distance. Once the last of the BBQ guests were gone, the house became drenched in a sweet silence and calm. No more Mariner's game on T.V., no more mindless chatter and no more well wishers to check on 'concussion girl' parked in the family room. It was lovely they were concerned, but I'm not really adept enough in social situations to deal with it properly. About a half hour into my convalescence on the couch, I thought about pretending to be asleep just to keep them away, even though I wasn't supposed to sleep with a concussion.

From my place on the couch, I could see through the big bay window that overlooked the vast lawn. I saw my Dad walking to his car, and holy crap, Edward was following along behind him. I sat up on my elbows as if that would make my spying more focused. My Dad's arms were crossed tightly across his chest and he was looking down at the ground. Edward's back was to me, so I couldn't see his face to determine just how serious this conversation was. _This can't be good. Shit. _

Charlie slapped Edward on the back and got into his car. Edward and I both watched him drive away, me from the couch and him from a slightly better vantage point. I watched Edward stand there in the yard with one hand raised as Charlie drove away. He dropped his hand by his side and took a long draw on his beer. Long after Charlie's car slipped past the edge of the clearing, Edward stayed still in the yard before he turned to come back to the house.

I could hear Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice talking in the kitchen. I knew it was only a matter of time before they invaded my quiet serenity. I laid back down on my side, curling my arm underneath my head, quietly and secretly watching Edward walk across the lawn. A slight smile danced on his lips and his hair rustled gently on the breeze. I watched his broad shoulders shift under his crisp, white, cotton button down shirt. Even the loose fitting khaki cargo shorts didn't do much to hide the power and confidence in his sexy stride. He brought his beer to his lips again, and the upward motion of his arm and a blessed gust of wind lifted and separated the tails of his shirt exposing a small sliver of his muscular stomach. I bit my lip as I felt the heat creep across my face. Edward Cullen was perfect in every way, and if I was to believe what he said, he wanted to be with me. If the world had tilted on its axis and this was some alternate existence, I didn't want to know.

"How's my favorite patient?" Carlisle asked, scaring the hell out of me.

"Oh shit!" I blurted out as jerked my head away from my own private surveillance, embarrassed as if I'd just been caught.

Carlisle laughed at my reaction and did his best to calm me, "Easy there, Bella, I just want to check on you."

"Sorry," I said turning over on the couch so Carlisle could check me out.

He knelt on one knee beside me, and pressed two fingers against my wrist. "How are you feeling?"

"I still have a bit of a headache, but it's getting better. More than anything, I'm tired. I haven't gotten much sleep in the last three days," I said with a yawn escaping my lips and muddying my words.

"You're going to need plenty of rest in order to heal. And as for the headache, you might have that for a day or so, but you can take Ibuprofen every four hours as you need it. Stay awake for a few more hours just to be on the safe side. You can take a nap this afternoon." Carlisle leaned over me with a little pen light and checked my eyes. "Does anything else hurt?"

"I'm a little sore, but nothing major."

"So, doc, is she going to live?" Emmett asked resting his hands on the back of the couch and leaning over us.

I swatted blindly in his general direction.

"I think she's pretty lucky to have had this little accident here so I can take observe her, otherwise she'd be in the E.R. and be subject to a litany of tests." Carlisle clicked off the pen light, and stood up satisfied that I wasn't in any real danger. "But yes, she's going to fine, Emmett. Your conscience is clear."

"Wait just a minute, Emmett, your _conscience_? Are you blaming yourself for Mike's showboating and my complete inadequacies as an athlete?" I asked him with a giggle

"Thanks, Carlisle," Emmett grumbled. He knelt behind the couch, resting his chin on his crossed arms. His lips were drawn up in a pout and his big blue puppy dog eyes blinked at me. "Sorry I made you play baseball and that you got hurt."

I reached up, put my hand on his arm, and looked up at him. "I'm fine, Emmett. It was an accident."

"So you're not mad at me?" he asked tentatively.

"Nope. You're off the hook." A second yawn overwhelmed me.

"You know you really should take the doctor's advice and rest." Edward's velvety voice filled the room and made my heart flutter in my chest. He stood at the end of the couch with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. That perfect crooked smile spread across his face as he said, "I could carry you upstairs to my bedroom so you could rest in peace."

"Oh really," I clucked sarcastically.

"Well, maybe not totally in peace but at least you'd be in a nice quiet space, a big comfortable bed, and I could keep you company until it's safe for you to take a nap." He sounded hopeful.

"You make a good argument, but I've got company here," I said with a wink, patting Emmett's arm.

Rosalie called Emmett from the kitchen. He excused himself and trotted off to see what she wanted.

"So, you're not going to take a nap?" Edward asked.

A third yawn snuck up on me and took away my breath. "No, I'll stay awake, but I want to stay here…close to everybody. You can join me on the couch if you want." Now I was the one who sounded hopeful.

"I'd jump at any invitation to sleep with you," he said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning from ear to ear.

"You wish."

"Yes. Yes I do."

"C'mon," I said scooting to the edge of the couch making room for him behind me and throwing the blanket forward.

He kicked off his shoes quickly, emptied his pockets on the coffee table in front of me, carefully climbed over me, and then settled in behind me. He pulled the soft, chenille blanket over both of us and then slipped his arm underneath my head and wrapped his forearm across my shoulders. I nestled my head in his embrace and shifted against him so that our bodies spooned perfectly together. He wrapped his other arm tightly around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. I sighed contentedly.

"Is this okay?" His warm breath and his lips brushed against the sensitive skin under my ear as he spoke.

His words and the sweet sensation of his mouth at my ear sent a tremor through my body, completely betraying me. I felt him smile against my skin. I breathed my reply as I slid my hand down his forearm, threading my fingers in his, "very okay."

Edward and I snuggled together and talked quietly for a couple of hours before settling into a quiet nap. After a truly blissful sleep my eyes flashed open to find Alice inches away from my face.

"Are you awake," she asked quietly, as if she didn't already know she had woken me up.

"I am now," I growled. I closed my eyes again and tucked myself further under the blanket and closer to Edward. I heard Alice cluck her tongue at me, and I opened my eyes to find her sitting on the coffee table in front of me with her arms crossed. "You've woken me up twice in one day Alice, and _you're_ being huffy with _me_?"

She shifted her seat on the table and dropped her hands in between her knees and leaned over her lap towards me. Alice whispered, "How's your head?"

I did a quick inventory and discovered that I still had a slight headache, but otherwise I felt surprisingly good. I couldn't decide how much of that could be attributed to the nap or the Ibuprofen or because I was sleeping in Edward's heavy arms. "I think its better. I'm a little sore, but I'm okay."

"We're going to play cards, you want to play?"

I knew if I didn't concede, she'd just bug me about it all night. "Sure. Just give me a minute?"

"I can't guarantee how long I can hold Emmett off, but I'll do my best," she said and then sprang up from the coffee table, flitting off to the kitchen to join our friends.

Alice skipped back to the kitchen seemingly content that Edward and I would be along shortly. I couldn't make out the context of their muffled conversation, but from the sound of Emmett's whooping and hollering it was definitely exciting. Even in my completely blissed out state, lying here in Edward's arms, I felt a miniscule tug to join my friends in the kitchen. After all, this weekend was about them too.

I carefully turned around in Edward's arms, resting my hands on his chest. Although I was fairly certain that he hadn't slept through Alice's little wake up call, I was surprised to look up to his handsome face to find his eyes closed and a slight smile on his lips.

"At least she didn't try to climb in with us this time," he said in a throaty, sleepy voice. A bigger smile spread across his face and he pulled me closer to him.

"You know she thought about it."

"How long do you think we have until they start getting restless in there?" Edward opened his eyes and cinched his arms tighter around my waist.

"Seconds," I whispered and then gently pressed my lips to his.

"Rosalie!" The shrill of Jasper's voice was that of complete shock. His pitch was in complete polar contrast to the low, gravelly quality of Emmett's laugh.

"Oh, Jasper, it's no big deal," Alice said calmly.

"My turn!" Emmett proclaimed.

Alice immediately mounted her offense. "Emmett McCarty Cullen! If you value the lives of your future children, I suggest that you stop right where you are."

"Told you," I snickered against his lips.

"Wow…first, middle and last name, not to mention the threat of rendering him sterile. She's pulling out the big guns," Edward chuckled as he gently untangled his arms and legs from around me. He threw off the blanket and we both sat up, peering over the back of the couch and into the kitchen, trying to catch a glimpse of the show. I could tell by the spark in his eyes he was just as entertained by them as I was. "She won't really hurt him will she?"

"I don't think so," I giggled. "But let's go watch just in case!"

Edward planted his hand on the back of the couch and then gracefully swung his entire body over it before I had the chance to change my position. He stood with his back to me, looking over his shoulder and motioning with his hand for me to climb on. I awkwardly stood on the couch cushions and very un-gracefully maneuvered so that I could wrap my arms around his neck. He reached behind my legs and all but yanked me off the couch and onto his strong back.

He tiptoed with me on his back to the kitchen doorway without any of our friends noticing we'd joined them. Alice was scrambling around the kitchen, backing away from Emmett, laughing and warning at him to stop.

"C'mon, Al, I just want to show you my appreciation." Emmett's words were sweet enough, but he was chasing Alice around the kitchen with raw intent as he reached out and snapped her up in his burly arms.

"I bet you do, but, Emmett darling, it's really not necessary" she said giggling and struggling against his embrace Alice looked in our direction and begged, "A little help here?"

"I've got my hands full here, and she's got a concussion," Edward said with a laugh. "Sorry, Alice, I'm afraid you're on your own."

"Some friends you guys are!" Alice continued to struggle against him.

"What's going on?" Edward asked.

Jasper fidgeted nervously at the table's edge.

"Jesus Christ, Jasper. Take a breath and get a sense of humor, will you?" Rosalie huffed, as she settled down at the table and started shuffling cards, completely cool and unfazed by the commotion. "Emmett and I are just showing Alice our gratitude for getting us all together this weekend."

"By _kissing_ her." Jasper was completely un-amused.

"You kissed Alice?" I asked her as I loosened my grip around Edward's neck and slid down his back. I was a little woozy, so I held on to his arm and stepped around to his side. He was biting his tongue beside me and all I could manage was to stare wide eyed at Rosalie.

She looked up at me nonchalantly and said, "It's not like I slipped her the tongue."

Emmett laughed heartily as he easily managed her petite little body in his grip and with a playful growl he covered her face in kisses.

"Okay, enough appreciation!" Alice squirmed in his arms, turning her face away from him and pushing on his chest.

"If you're finished terrorizing her, it's time to play cards," Rosalie said without as much as an upward glance. She was already starting to deal 6 stacks of cards around the empty table.

Alice slipped out of Emmett's arms, and she immediately began wiping her face with the back of her hand. She danced over to an annoyed Jasper, gave him a quick kiss and took a seat beside him.

"How was that terrorizing? I've kissed her a thousand times before," Emmet protested as he was rooting through the fridge.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that she was physically running from you and asking our friends to help her," Rosalie said sarcastically. "She didn't seem to mind when I kissed her."

Emmett joined us at the table passing out beer to everyone before he settled in next to Rosalie. He leaned over to her and kissed her bare shoulder. "Is there anyone on the planet that _would _mind a kiss from you?"

"You mean besides Jasper, right?" Alice giggled.

"Yeah, yeah. So what are we playing?" Emmett was fanning out his cards in front of him and took a swig of his beer.

Alice, Rosalie and I all answered in unison, "Hearts."

"Good God, I haven't played that since, well since we were in high school," Edward said as he rearranged the cards in his hand.

The six of us played and laughed around Esme's table for a couple of hours. I looked at the faces of my friends and felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and hope. The quick banter that swirled around me was classic 'tres amigos' and yet the addition of the three new voices around the table fit into the familiar rhythm as if they'd always belonged. I got lost in the cadence of their conversation, staring at the cards in my hand.

The last two and a half years of my life had been so difficult, but sitting here with them now made that struggle seem like such a small penance for the gifts that had come my way. The numbers and shapes on the cards that I held in my hand went completely out of focus before I realized that the tears had filled my eyes. I blinked quickly trying to stop the inevitable overflow before anyone else noticed. _My head hurts._

"Hello…Bella," Emmett pulled me from my thoughts.

"Is it my turn?" I asked fumbling with my cards.

"No, weren't you listening?" Alice asked.

"Uhmmm...I guess I wasn't. What did I miss?"

"Rosalie told Edward that she thought he needed a manicure, and so I mentioned that he should probably get right on that because of your rules," Emmett beamed a cheesy, shit eating grin across the table at me. He was stirring the pot and we both knew it. "I'd hate for you to dump him over something as silly as a hang nail."

"Is that really a rule?" Edward was turning his hand over inspecting his hands.

"A rule for what?" a confused Jasper asked.

"Bella has a long list of rules when it comes to dating," Alice explained.

I felt the need to defend my practical solution to a lifetime of bad dating experiences. "It's not a _long_ list, but it has served me well."

"What kind of rules are we talking about here," Rosalie asked as she lay down her cards.

Edward turned to me and asked, "Would you really break up with me if I had a hangnail?"

"No, of course not…not for a hangnail," I assured him.

"But she would if you had _dirty_ fingernails," Alice chimed in.

Rosalie let out a loud burst of laughter and said, "I'm intrigued. What are the rest of these dating rules according to Bella Swan?"

Emmett took a big breath and pursed his lips around the words that were ready to fly out of his mouth, when he caught a brief glimpse of the stink eye I was firing across the table at him. "Oh, do you want to do this, Bella?"

I lay my cards face down in front of me and rubbed my eyes before planting my elbows on the table and resting my face in my hands. "Why would I be a party to my own humiliation, Em? I'm sure you and Alice can cover this without any input from me."

Edward's hand was on my back, rubbing small, soothing circles. "Don't be embarrassed, Bella. I for one can't wait to hear what I'm up against."

"Okay, so what's after dirty fingernails?" Rosalie asked.

"Let's see, number two, you must have a job," Alice was holding out one hand palm up, and began marking the progression through the list with her index finger. "Number three, you can't live with your parents."

"I'm feeling pretty good about this list so far," Edward chuckled, leaning back comfortably in his chair.

"Number four," Emmett continued. "Alice and I have to like you."

"Uh oh, Edward. You might be in trouble with that one," Jasper snickered.

"Number five is my personal favorite." Alice shifted on her seat and pulled her legs up in the chair to sit Indian style. "No. Sloppy. Kissers."

"Hallelujah!" Rosalie said as she raised her hands above her head.

Alice added an animated "Amen!"

Edward leaned up on his elbows and looked at me with one raised eyebrow. I patted him on the back and shook my head back and forth. _Silly man._

"Number six, no kissing on the first date." Emmett's tone sounded a little accusatory. He winked at me and then playfully punched Edward in the arm.

"Oh really?" My favorite crooked smile spread across Edward's face. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I let him pull me into his chest, covering up my eyes with my hands.

"Are you a rule breaker, Edward?" Jasper asked.

"You're such a rebel," Rosalie teased him.

"I guess I am," he sounded so proud.

Alice cleared her throat before she presented rule number seven. "You must not have possessive, manipulative, or stalker-ish tendencies. This rule is not negotiable."

I felt Edward tense next to me and noticed when he looked over at Emmett. Any reference about why I added that rule to the list always made Emmett crazy. I could see the stress in his face and in his body language. He hated that part of my history as much as I did. Was Edward being reactive to Emmett's physical response, or did he have more information? _Not possible._

There was a brief uncomfortable silence before Alice piped up, "Okay, so I always thought this one was stupid, but she insists on keeping it. Rule number eight, uh - this really is so silly Bella."

"No it's not. It's important to me."

"Go on, Alice," Edward encouraged as he rubbed my arm from my shoulder to my elbow.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You must have read something by Bronte, Austen, or - I'm sorry, Bella, who are the other two guys?"

"Hemingway or Thoreau."

"Right, how could I forget Hemingway and Thoreau," Alice said smartly, shaking her head from side to side. "I'm fairly convinced this rule was added to eliminate 95 of the male population between the ages of 25 and oh, I don't know…60."

"Does that intimidate you, Edward?" Rosalie asked.

"Nope. I've got this one in the bag," Edward said confidently.

"You do?!" Emmett was surprised.

"You've never read 'The Old Man and the Sea' or 'Farewell to Arms'?" Edward questioned him.

"Uh…no." Emmett stammered.

I giggled and said, "And _that _my friend is the reason why you and I would have never worked out."

"Yeah, that and rule number nine." Emmett leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together behind his neck, smiling smugly. "I couldn't deal with rule number nine."

"What's rule number nine," Edward asked with caution.

In anticipation of the revelation of rule number eight, I sank deeper in my chair and buried my face in Edward's chest.

"Do you want to tell him, Bella?"

It was sweet of Alice to offer that I tell my own stuff, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to get the words out without turning a lovely, humiliating shade of scarlet. I waved my hand at her to proceed and covered my face.

"Rule number nine - "

"Wait!" I couldn't bear to hear the words come out of her mouth. I pushed myself out of the security of Edward's embrace. "Don't say it."

Alice tucked her lips between her teeth and made a motion with her fingers as if she was locking them up tight.

"I can't be the only one with rules. You guys are holding out on me," I tried desperately to deflect the attention from me. "Emmett?"

Emmett threw his head back and laughed, "I don't need any rules."

"That is such a load of crap and you know it." Thank God Edward was on my side. "You just told me some ridiculous rule about not dating girls whose names…"

"…start with a B!!" Edward started the sentence, but Alice and I helped him finish with an enthusiastic squeal.

"Hey, now that's a good rule," Emmett huffed.

Rosalie mumbled, "I don't even want to know what that means."

I reached for Edward's beer and took a sip. My head was starting to hurt again. I rubbed my fingers in small circles at my temples.

Edward leaned up, put his hand on my back between my shoulder blades and looked into my eyes. "Are you okay?"

"My head hurts. I think maybe I should go lie down." I pushed up from my chair to stand and Emmett and Edward were both quickly up on their feet to help me.

"I'll get the Ibuprofen," Jasper jumped up from his chair to get it for me.

Emmett asked Edward, "You got her?"

"Yeah," he answered. Edward moved my chair out from behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist, leading me out of the kitchen. "C'mon, Bella lets go get some fresh air. We can go swing in the hammock."

Jasper brought me the medicine and waited for me to swallow the pills and take a drink. He kissed me on the cheek before turning to go back to our friends.

On our way out, I heard Rosalie ask Emmett, "so, what is rule number nine?"

I glanced over my shoulder and shouted back, "not one word, Em."

"Relax, Bella. You just go take care of yourself," Emmett called back to me.

Edward opened the door for me and then took my hand guiding me down the porch steps and through the yard. A big cotton-knotted hammock large enough for two hung between two big pine trees near the house. As we got closer, I thought of at least five different ways I could hurt myself by tying to climb into that thing and I stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked as he swung our hands between us.

"I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to navigate that thing without doing any _more_ harm today."

Edward lifted our hands that were still linked to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. "I won't let anything happen to you, Bella. It's just a hammock."

"You see a hammock, I see a deathtrap," I said wryly.

Edward rolled his eyes, sat on the edge of the hammock and easily situated himself near the center. After some coaching and encouragement, not to mention some hands on assistance, Edward pulled me onto the damn thing without any further bodily injury.

"How's your head?"

"It's fine, just a little headache."

"You scared the hell out of me today," he admitted.

"I'm sorry; I told you I was a klutz."

"Yes, you are," he chuckled.

Edward moved his arm under my head and curled his arms around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him.

"Don't you pick up your car tomorrow?" I asked him.

"I do. I have to leave pretty early in the morning to meet the sales guy," he explained. "I've got a little business to take care of, and then I'll drive over to Seattle in time to meet you guys for dinner."

"So you won't be driving back with us?" I had hoped that I could ride back to Seattle with him, but I guess he had other things he needed to take care of.

"I don't think so, but I'll call you as soon as I get into town." He smiled at me. Edward's clear, green eyes intently searched mine. His smile faded slowly as he inched closer to me, gently pressing his lips to mine for one soft, sweet kiss.

My heart was racing. He was perfect and I was a nervous wreck.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking that we only have one more night of this suspended reality."

His brow wrinkled, and he pulled his face away from mine slightly. "Suspended reality?"

I took a deep breath before I spoke, "We all go back to our lives tomorrow. Rosalie and Jasper go back to L.A. -"

"And you and I will go to Seattle." He reached up and slowly brushed a few stray hairs from my brow and placed his hand against my cheek. "I know what you're thinking, and I'm not going anywhere, except to Seattle…with you."

"Well, technically not _with_ me," I tried to make a joke.

He smiled and shook his head slowly back and forth, brushing his nose and his lips along my cheek and said, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Be patient?" I pressed my hands against his chest. "I've been a glass half empty girl for long time now, but I'm working on it."

"Sweetheart, this glass is over flowing, but I'm happy to remind you of that fact every day for as long as you'll let me." He slid his hand from my cheek, over my shoulder and settled around the small of my back.

"I'll hold you to that," I sighed.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Hmmm?" I looked up into his eyes, smiling.

"What's rule number nine?" he said as the corners of his mouth slowly tugged into a wicked smile.

"Ughh…please don't make me tell you tonight," I pleaded and then buried my face in his chest.

"Okay, okay. You tell me when you're ready," he laughed and pulled me closer to his chest.

"Thank you," I mumbled almost inaudibly as a yawn overtook me. I was exhausted. "Sing to me?"

Edward pressed his cheek against my forehead and began to sing quietly. When we were kids he had always been able to soothe me by humming or singing to me. He always sang songs from his parents' library like Elton John, James Taylor, and Van Morrison. Tonight was no exception as Edward sang a slow, soft version of Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better." It was the perfect lullaby.

I was nestled safely in Edward's arms, listening to him sing to me, swinging gently under the star filled, Washington summer sky. Something new and lovely stirred deep in my soul. It seemed that my discontented spirit had finally found a small measure of peace. Because of my practical nature, I had a hard time reconciling how much my perspective had changed throughout the course of a weekend. Two years of therapy hadn't made as much of a difference as these three days. One weekend had presented a million possibilities. Three days had revived my hope that my broken heart could be mended. Thirty six hours had restored my shot at happily ever after. In that moment my mind seemed to confirm what my heart had always suspected. All I ever really needed to feel whole again was Edward.

**End Notes: Twilighted(dot)net is currently conducting a BD Missing Moments challenge. There are 30 entries for consideration and the voting ends today. If you are in need of a BD band aid, you should go check it out. You can find the challenge entries by choosing Categories and then selecting "OTHER – CHALLENGE ENTRIES" **

**Cool Twilight-centric shirts for the movie premiere – come check us out! www(dot)webookapparel(dot)com. **


	15. Waiting For You

**A/N: 400 + subscribers?? You guys are the best! I'm so, so, so happy that so many of you are committed to my little story. I appreciate your comments and your support!! Please keep reviewing – I love to hear with you think. So many of you asked about Rule #9! Patience my little chickens…patience.**

"_**Waiting for You,"**_** by Seal is this chapters song. I have been looking forward to writing this chapter for weeks just because of the title. Every time this song shuffles through my iPod it makes me smile. You can find a link to the song on my profile page. **

**As always, thanks to my friend Tigress for being my faithful beta. **

**Disclaimer: The Twilight universe is ruled by Stephenie Meyer…I own nothing. **

Chapter 15: Waiting for You

BPOV

My last, albeit foggy, memories of the previous night was that of more Ibuprofen, Edward carrying me from the hammock to his bed and stepping out of my overalls before I crawled into bed. The sun was barely breaking through the trees as I stretched and glanced over my shoulder searching for Edward, but he was gone. Surely he hadn't left without saying goodbye. I slid over to his side of the bed on my stomach, curled my arms around his pillow and buried my face in it. The scent that filled my nose and my lungs was a heady vanilla, fresh laundry and licorice…Edward.

I heard the latch on the bathroom door release and turned my head slightly to the left squinting one eye open just enough to see a thick wave of steam roll out into the bedroom and a fresh-from-the-shower Edward standing at the vanity, holding a thick, white towel in front of himself, roughly drying his body. He shook his head and then rubbed the towel over his chest, neck and head. He ran his free hand through his damp hair, and walked across the room towards his closet, which provided me the most spectacular view of his ass. He raised the towel again to his hair and ran it through one more time. The striated muscles across his shoulders and back stretched under his glistening, golden skin.

I felt like I should turn away, like it was wrong that I was staring at him like this, lusting over him without his knowledge but I was completely frozen. I tracked several beads of water with my eyes as they fell from his hair onto his shoulders, rolled down his strong back, over the curve of his perfect bubble butt and down his thick thighs. I bit my lip and felt the annoying blush that was generally reserved for my face and my chest, bloom over my entire body. _Oh. My. God._

I had three choices. One was to continue to pretend I was asleep for a few more minutes until he was completely dressed and none the wiser about the little peep show he'd unintentionally given. The second was to hop out of bed and rush to the bathroom to start my day and pretend as if he hadn't just flashed me an eyeful of the most beautiful backside I'd ever seen. The third option was to whistle and catcall like a construction worker, tell him to lose the towel and come back to bed. _Who am I kidding, I'm not that brave. _

I quietly slipped out of bed and tip toed to the bathroom, and started furiously brushing my teeth. It was too late to worry about not being fully dressed, so I just tugged at the hem of my shirt tail, trying desperately to at least cover up my butt. I finished brushing my teeth and then started unraveling the braids from the day before.

"Bella?" Edward called for me from his bedroom.

"In here," I answered.

He walked in the bathroom, carrying his wet towel, wearing only a pair of low slung jeans and a smirk on his face. He tossed the towel in the hamper, and shoved one hand in his pocket pulling the already low jeans, even lower. His damp and unruly hair fell over his brow. He raised one hand and ran his long, slender fingers through the messy locks of hair, pushing it away from his face. He leaned his shoulder against the door frame and in a ridiculously, deep Johnny Cash morning voice he said, "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning," I said as I continued pulling out my braids. I turned to face him and smiled.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm a little sore but no headache, so that's good, right?" I combed my fingers through my wavy hair, pushed it over my shoulders and began twisting it up in a knot on top of my head, securing it with a hair clip.

He didn't answer.

My eyes darted from my own reflection in the mirror to him. His eyes were slowly making their way up the length of my body and stopped somewhere near my tush. He swallowed hard and then forced his eyes up until his eyes finally met mine. I reached behind me, pulling down on the hem of my shirt, smiling at him with one raised eyebrow. "Devil got your tongue?"

"I'm sorry, Bella. You just look so incredible," Edward said pushing himself away from the doorframe and then reaching for me grinning wickedly. He placed his hands on the side of my face, his emerald eyes boring in to me. "I really should have paid more attention when I helped you get undressed and tucked you into bed last night."

"Oh really?" I giggled nervously and placed my hands on his hips.

He exaggerated a slow nod, drawing my face closer to his and then replied, "yeah, really."

Without taking his eyes off mine, Edward dipped his head, lightly brushed his lips against mine and then tilted his head slowly in the opposite direction and kissed me again. Our lips moved together in a slow, patient rhythm.

I traced my fingers from his hips up his sides, and across the soft, skin of his back, slipping my hands over the top of his shoulders. I rose up on my toes and pulled him closer to me, opening my lips against the warmth of his pleading tongue.

Edward groaned softly as our tongues rolled and twisted together in a slow and seductive dance, deepening the already intense kiss. He moved his hands from my face, dragged them down my spine, and cinched his arms around my waist.

The emotion I felt being in his arms and sharing this kiss was coursing through my body, rendering my limbs useless and my mind a scrambled, hormonal mess. My legs went numb and wobbly underneath me, and I fell back slightly at the waist. Of course, Edward being Edward, he kept me upright and leaned into me before he reluctantly pulled away from my lips.

"You okay?" he asked almost breathlessly.

My heart was pounding in my chest as if it was going to explode as I slid my hands up to his neck and steadied myself in his embrace. "I'm fine. I'm embarrassed, but I'm fine," I admitted.

Edward helped me stand upright, clutching a handful of my t-shirt in his grip and said, "don't be embarrassed Bella. I personally find it irresistible that my kisses have this kind of effect on you."

He bent his lips to my neck and began kissing a deliberate path from my collarbone to my ear.

"I'm sure you do," I breathed. My eyes rolled back into my head, and I struggled to keep a coherent thought strung together in my head. The soft, velvet touch of his lips against the sensitive skin on my neck was maddening. "You always did…know how to..."

"How to what, Bella?" he said between kisses.

"Dazzle me," I breathed barely above a whisper.

His mouth reached the hollow under my ear, and his warm breath sent chills down my spine as he spoke, "It's nice to see I haven't lost my touch." Edward's tongue flicked along the curve of my ear which made my breath hitch and a small gasp escape my lips. I felt him smile against my neck.

"As if you ever could," my voice cracked as I pulled him closer to me letting my hands roam along the soft skin of his bare shoulders.

The sound of a cello tugged at my attention. "Do you hear that?"

He lifted his head and turned his face towards the bedroom, listening. "Yo Yo Ma," he said without explanation.

I pulled my chin back and looked at him confused, "Yo Yo what?"

"It's my cell phone," he laughed and kissed me quickly on the lips. He pulled himself free of me and walked across the bedroom to his bedside table to retrieve his phone. "It's Bach's Cello Suite Number One by Yo Yo Ma. My mom loaded up the ringtone before she gave me the phone."

I wrapped my arms around myself suddenly cold and empty without the warmth of Edward's embrace. I could hear his end of the phone conversation and gathered that the call had something to do with his car and meeting arrangements. I quietly shut the door and started the water for a shower.

The dread of leaving this protected, perfect bubble began to sink in and I wasn't ready to leave. Then I remembered that the reality I was going back to included Edward and that everything I was going home to was going to be different.

I showered quickly, wrapped one towel around my head and another around my body. I put moisturizer on my face and lotion on my arms and legs before packing up my little bathroom bag and going to the bedroom.

I went to the closet and dug through my suitcase for something to wear. All of Edward's clothes and suitcases were gone, so I knew I had to hurry. I put on my favorite jeans, a plain black, short sleeve t-shirt and rooted around for while for my shoes before I realized they were downstairs by the couch. I yanked a brush through my wet, tangled hair, shoved my dirty clothes in my bags, and then went downstairs.

Edward was on the phone again, leaning over the bar and scribbling on a notepad. He looked up when I walked into the kitchen, he held up a finger, mouthed the words, 'one minute' and then he winked and smiled at me. I went to the living room to find my shoes and then sat down on the couch to put them on.

I was tying up my shoelace when Edward plopped down on the couch beside me. "Sounds like you have to leave soon," I said puffing out my bottom lip.

"Yeah, I really should go," he said as he held up his wrist and looked at his watch. He turned to face me and put his strong hands on my knees. "Please don't give me the lip, I can't handle the lip. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Promise?"

Edward leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

"I promise," he said and then kissed me again and then pulled me to my feet. "Come on, walk me to my car."

He held my hand and towed me along behind him as we walked through the living room, then the kitchen to the garage. He stopped at the garage door and picked up his bags.

"Do you need any help?" I asked knowing he wouldn't let me.

"Pfft," he sputtered as he deftly balanced his luggage in his arms and on his shoulders. "I got this, but you can get the door."

"Sure," I said and opened the garage door for him. I let him pass and then I followed him in. "Should I open the garage for you?"

"Please," he said maneuvering between the cars. He jostled the bags he held in his hand and clicked the remote for the Volvo, pressing a button to disable the locks. The car's head and tail lights blinked to life and the trunk sprang open. "Hey, how's your head?"

"I've got a little bump back there, but I'm fine," I said rubbing my head. "It's nothing a little Advil won't cure."

"Dad's probably going to want to check you out before you leave today."

"I'm fine," I said flippantly. "Carlisle shouldn't worry about me."

"Ah, but it's what he does best," Edward said. "It's that whole pesky doctor thing."

"This is all you have?" I asked changing the subject. There was no way that 10 years was packed into these three suitcases.

He dropped the luggage at his feet and then started packing it into the trunk of the car. "I have a few boxes being shipped over, but yeah, this is pretty much it."

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Seriously. I sold everything I didn't need and then donated everything I couldn't pack," he said as he placed the last bag and shut the trunk. "Alice is going to be beside herself when she finds out how much shopping there is to be done."

"She'll be very excited, that's for sure," I giggled.

Edward walked to the driver's side door, opened it and put his computer bag on the passenger seat and then turned to face me, resting his forearm on the open door. "It's time for me to go," he sighed.

"I know," I said quietly. I stepped close to him, slipped my arms tightly around his waist and snuggled my head against his chest.

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. "I'll call you from the road."

"And you'll call me as soon as you get to Seattle, right?" I sounded only slightly desperate. I wasn't ready for him to go. I never wanted him to go…ever again.

"I will," he said as he rubbed his strong hands up and down my back.

I moved away from him just enough so that I could look up at him. I slid my hands from around his back to his chest smoothing out his t-shirt. His eyes were clear and kind as he looked back at me. He showed me his soul in that look and it was then that I knew he'd stay forever.

"The sooner I go, the sooner I can get back to you," he said quietly. Edward searched my eyes as he brought one hand up to my face and lightly brushed his fingers across my brow and down my cheek to my neck.

"Then you should go, and you should drive fast," I said and then pulled him to my lips.

His hand at my neck twisted up in my hair while the other hands pressed into the small of my back. This kiss was not tentative or careful; it was aggressive, hungry and full of passion. His lips devoured mine without restraint, and I kissed him back deeply and without reservation. Our mouths moved in perfect time, and our tongues turned and flirted in a familiar yet intense rhythm, that sent a jolt of electricity right down to the core of my body.

I felt sexy and confident kissing him. My hands reached for his face, my fingers tracing along the angle of his square jaw. I took his bottom lip in between my lips and sucked and gently nipped at him with my teeth. His tongue darted out of his open mouth, reaching and searching for mine. I watched his eyes fly open as I seductively took his tongue in my mouth and sucked and teased him before flicking my tongue against his and completely losing myself in his kiss. He moaned loudly and pulled me closer to him as he stumbled back against the car.

Edward tore his lips from mine, his eyes wild, and with ragged breath he blurted out, "What the hell was that?"

My heart was racing, and I was having a hard time catching my breath. I reached up with my fingertips and brushed them against my swollen lips as I looked up at him with a shy smile and said, "I just wanted to make sure you knew what would be waiting for you in Seattle."

He dropped his hands to my waist, threw his head back he groaned, "You wait until now, when I'm seconds away from getting in my car to drive away from you to kiss me like that! Ahhh, Bella…you're killing me here."

"Well then I must have done it wrong," I giggled. "The intent wasn't to kill you. I just want you to miss me."

"Oh, you did it exactly right, believe me," he stammered as he stepped away from me, dragged the back of his hand across his brow and smoothed the front of his shirt. He reached out and took my hand in his. "I can assure you, I'll miss you every single minute we're apart."

"Good," I said smugly and then leaned over to kiss him quickly. "Have a safe trip."

"But…I -" Edward stuttered. His eyes were glassy, and he looked completely stunned as he collapsed backwards into the driver's seat. He folded his legs in under the steering wheel and continued to look at me in a daze while he slowly fit the key into the ignition.

I was surprised by this new bravery and downright giddy that I had rendered Edward speechless for a change. He was positively and duly dazzled.

"Drive careful, Edward," I said with a cheesy grin as I shut the car door and sent him on his way.

Without taking his eyes off me, he started the car, put it in gear and slowly backed out of the garage. The car passed over the threshold of the garage before he turned his gaze away from me and focused on getting the car backed out and a two point turn managed. Once he had the car facing towards the long drive that led him off the property and to the Interstate, he rolled down the window and called my name.

I walked over to the car and bent over to look in the open window.

"Yes?"

"You realize what you've done with that little stunt you just pulled, don't you?" The dazed and confused look was wiped clean and a wicked spark flashed in his eyes and a devilish, smokin' hot sexy smile danced on his lips.

I knew I was in trouble, but I played coy and said, "That was no stunt. I was simply kissing my boyfriend goodbye."

He leaned over the center console towards me, his eyes smoldering and said, "You've just provided me with a teeny little fantasy to obsess over for the next 5 to 6 hours, and you should know that I'm going to do nothing but think of all the ways and all the places I'm going to kiss you when I see you later tonight."

I swallowed hard and weakly replied, "oh my."

"That's what I thought you'd say," he said with a wink. "See you in Seattle, Bella."

He rolled up the window and slowly took off down the long drive.

I stood there in the driveway all tingly, twitterpated, and red faced, watching him drive away. The frantic energy that pumped through my body was heavy in anticipation for what I might expect when we saw each other next. Even though I was watching him leave, I was happy. He wasn't leaving me this time; he was making his way _to_ me.

I went back through the garage, pressed the button to close the door and went into the house. I went upstairs to Edward's empty bedroom, and checked that I had completely packed my bag. I went to the bathroom to make sure that I had gathered up all my stuff and then picked up all the dirty towels on my way out. I laid the towels at the foot of the bed before I crawled up on the messy sheets and wrapped myself in his smell.

Lying there in his bed, I soaked in the perfection of the weekend. I couldn't believe how everything had turned out. I came here as a single, stressed out, sad, mess of a human being, and I was leaving calm and relaxed, with a heart full of hope, and a boyfriend.

I laid there for a good half hour before I reluctantly rolled myself out of bed and began stripping the linens off the mattress. I bundled up the sheets and towels in one arm and dragged my bag along behind me as I made my way downstairs and to the laundry room. I loaded and started the washer and then went to the kitchen for coffee.

I found a few stacks of photos on the counter so of course I stopped to flip through them. They were the photos that Esme had taken throughout the weekend. I sat down at the bar and poured over each and every one of them with a ridiculous smile on my face. I laughed out loud when I ran across the candid shot of all six of us in the bed. Esme somehow captured everyone's personality perfectly.

"Well good morning, Bella," Carlisle said as he breezed through the kitchen, headed straight for the fridge. "How's my patient feeling this morning?"

"I feel a little banged up, but I'm okay," I said.

Carlisle poured himself a glass of juice, took a sip and then glided over to my side. "Let's just have a look, shall we?"

I turned in my seat so that I was facing him and said, "I'm really fine and the Advil helps a lot."

He put his hands on the sides of my face and looked into my eyes. "No blurred vision, or trouble waking up this morning?"

"No."

"Any nausea or persistent pain anywhere?"

"I have a nagging headache and my bum hurts from the fall, but no. Nothing major," I replied.

"Well, I think you're going to be just fine. Just take it easy for the next week or so," he advised.

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"What have you got there?" he asked, looking over my shoulder at the stack of photos I was thumbing through.

"Oh, just some photos from this weekend," I said as I turned back in my chair to face the counter.

He picked up the photo of the six of us all dressed up for the reunion, lined up in the living room in front of the fireplace and laughed. "I think she took this same picture of you all when you were all going off to some homecoming thing-a-ma-jig a million years ago. One of you had braces back then, but otherwise you all still look like the same bunch."

"That's right! Alice and Jasper _both_ had braces. I think I have that picture," I giggled. "Do you think Esme would mind if I took some of these with me? It looks like she got double prints."

"You take what you want, Bella. I'm sure she'd want you to have them." Carlisle picked up his juice and swallowed it down.

"Thanks, Carlisle."

"You're welcome. Now I have to get to the hospital, so stand up and give me a hug," he said holding his arms open wide.

I stood up in front of him and stepped into his embrace. "Thanks so much for having us this weekend."

"We were glad to have you. You're welcome anytime," he said as he squeezed me tight and then patted my back. He moved away from me and gathered up his briefcase, cell phone, keys and his jacket. "Have a safe trip back to Seattle. Don't let Emmett drive too fast."

"I won't," I giggled.

Carlisle slipped out the garage door and went to work.

I sorted through the rest of the photos and had them all divided up into two stacks; one small stack for me, and one for Esme.

The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that I _did_ have that photo of us from homecoming our junior year and at least dozen others just like it. I knew exactly where they were, too. I looked at my watch. I had plenty of time to go to Charlie's and make it back before anyone would be ready to hit the road.

I tucked the photos into my bag, grabbed my purse and Emmett's keys off the entry way table and drove to Charlie's. When I got to the house, the driveway was empty so I knew Charlie had already gone to work. I was in and out with my treasure in tow in less than 10 minutes and was back at the Cullen's house by 7:30, with Emmett none the wiser that I had stolen his Jeep.

The house was still quiet, so I sat down on the couch and watched "The Today Show." I was strangely absorbed by Willard Scott wishing 'happy birthday' to the old folks, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I flipped open my phone to read the text.

_I already miss you - E_

I twisted my hair with a smile on my face, more than pleased that he missed me.

_I miss you more – B_

I pressed 'send' on my phone and looked up to see Emmett lumbering down the stairs in his boxers, scratching himself and yawning.

"Morning, pretty," I teased, and turned down the volume on the television.

"Why in the hell are you up so early?" he asked in a rough, groggy voice. He sank down on the couch beside me and covered up with a blanket. "And _why_ are you happy about it?"

"Why shouldn't I be happy? I just got a text message from my _boy_friend," I sang out, twisting and turning my phone near his face before setting it down on the coffee table.

Emmett laid down beside me, with his knees drawn and dug his toes under my butt and thighs. "Oooh…Bella's got a boyfriend."

"Kinda weird, huh?"

"It's not that weird, especially since its Edward." Emmett tucked his arms under the blanket, folding them close to his chest. "It's kismet."

"Kismet," I whispered.

"You know, kismet; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny," he quoted what I assumed was the Merriam Webster's Dictionary definition of the word.

"Thank you, Emmett, but I know what kismet means," I patted his calf and adjusted myself on the couch. "And I hope you're right."

"I'm always right," he said with a smug smile on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," I said appeasing him. "Why are _you_ up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," he admitted.

"What?" I laughed. "You can never 'not sleep,' Em. You're like a champion sleeper."

"I know!" he exclaimed as he dug his toes further under my rear end. "It really pisses me off."

We sat still on the couch, mindlessly watching the television together. After ten or fifteen minutes, I heard the soft hum of his snore and I looked over at my dear, sweet, friend and smiled. _Couldn't sleep my ass. He knew Edward left early this morning, he was totally checking up on me. _

I rested my elbow on the arm of the couch and twisted a thick strand of hair around my finger.

Before I was even aware of it, I was drifting in and out of sleep. I was pulled from my little cat nap when I heard Rosalie whispering to Emmett.

"Hey, baby," Emmett cooed sweetly from the couch.

Rosalie was wrapped up in a pretty, red, silk robe, with her hair piled high on her head in a messy knot. She sat on the coffee table across from Emmett, and tossed his cell phone on his stomach.

"Your phone has been blowing up for the last twenty minutes," she said only slightly annoyed.

"Hey, Rose," I croaked as I stretched my arms above my head and my legs out in front of me.

"Morning," she replied with a yawn.

Emmett un-tucked his toes from under my backside and sat up, fumbled with the phone and pressed a series of buttons. He leaned over and kissed Rosalie and apologized. "I'm sorry, baby."

The trace agitation on her face melted as she leaned forward on her elbows, gazing sweetly at Emmett. With his phone pressed up to his ear, and without taking his eyes off her, he inched forward and kissed her again. He blindly pressed a button on his phone and tossed it on the couch next to me.

I felt a little like I had intruded on a private moment, but it was so nice to see Emmett being this mushy. I'd never seen any more affection than a smack on the butt with anyone he'd ever dated, so being witness to this moment with Rosalie was really nice.

Emmett's phone rang which pulled him away from Rosalie's lips and had him sneaking off to the kitchen to take the call.

Rosalie moved from the coffee table to the warm spot and the blanket that Emmett had abandoned on the couch. She sat right next to me, snuggled up against me under the blanket, and drew her knees up tight to her chest.

"What time did Edward leave?"

"Really early," I answered.

"You doing okay?" she asked as she nudged her shoulder against mine.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said, nodding my head.

Rosalie looked over her shoulder towards to kitchen and then turned back to me and whispered, "Emmett was a little worried that you'd have a hard time telling Edward goodbye this morning."

"I figured as much," I whispered back.

"It's a lot easier to say goodbye to him when you know you're going to see him in a few hours, isn't it?"

"Uh…yeah."

Emmett came bounding over the back of the couch and landed next to Rosalie. She didn't complain or fuss at him like Alice and I would have.

"What time are we leaving?" Rosalie asked Emmett.

"In about an hour," Emmett replied as he was trying to tuck himself under the blanket next to Rosalie.

Alice's shoes clicked on the hard wood steps of the stairs as she bounced down them.

Emmett winced as she sang out in a shrill little voice, "Good moooooorning!"

"Morning," I replied.

"Rosalie, you'll be happy to know that I changed your flight so we'll have you and Jasper for another 18 hours. You guys will drive back to Seattle with us, and then leave for L.A. first thing in the morning," Alice instructed.

"Thanks, Alice," Rosalie said.

"Yeah, thanks Al," Emmett said as he placed his arm around Rosalie's shoulders, squeezing her tight against him.

Alice sat down on the love seat beside us, crossed her legs and looked at us expectantly. "Why aren't you ready?"

"It's not time to go," Emmett fired back.

"When _will_ it be time to go?"

"In an hour."

"Do they bicker like this all the time?" Rosalie leaned over and asked me quietly.

My phone buzzed and began to dance across the coffee table. I reached for the phone, flipped it open and replied to her quietly before I read my new text message, "Yes. Like two little old ladies."

_You should be here with me - E_

I smiled and pecked out my reply.

_I wish I was - B_

Alice and Emmett continued to spar with each other about schedules, limited time, reservations and grand plans for the day.

Rosalie calmly picked up the remote control and started flipping channels. She fit into the madness perfectly.

Esme floated down the stairs and chirped, "Well good morning!"

"Morning, Esme," we all answered in unison.

"Anybody hungry?"

Emmett's hand shot up in the air, "Me!"

"Anybody besides my nephew hungry?" she ruffled her fingers playfully in his hair as she walked past him.

Rosalie and I both answered her.

"Where's Jasper?" Esme asked.

Alice nodded towards the stairs and said, "He's coming."

We all looked up to the top of the stairs where Jasper teetered on the top step, balancing at least 4 bags in his hands.

"Do you need any help, Jasper?" Emmett asked with a chuckle.

"No, I'm good. It's just awkward," Jasper said as he took one careful step at a time. He deposited the bags in the foyer next to mine.

Alice, Jasper and I went to the kitchen to help Esme with breakfast, while Emmett and Rosalie went upstairs to shower, dress and pack. The last hour in the Cullen house was a flurry of activity. We ate, cleaned the kitchen, packed up our belongings and were ready to leave by 11:00 a.m. on the dot.

Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and I were rushing through the house, making sure they hadn't left anything, and making last chance trips to the bathroom. Emmett was stealing granola bars from Esme's pantry and water from the fridge for the trip.

Esme had given me an envelope for the photos Carlisle said I should take. I knelt beside my bag and slipped the now protected pictures into the little zipper pocket on the front of my bag. I looked up to find Esme standing in the foyer, staring at the mound of luggage. Her pretty manicured fingers covered her mouth, and her eyes were filled with tears that were threatening to spill over.

"Esme, why are you crying?" I asked her as I quickly moved to hug her.

She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, her voice tight with emotion, and she said, "I'm such a mess today. I cried earlier this morning when Edward came to tell us goodbye."

"Please don't cry." I ran my hands up and down her back trying to soothe her.

"Oh, honey, its okay," she said patting my back. She moved away from me and gently wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's just been an overwhelming weekend."

"I think that's true for all of us," I sighed, fighting back my own tears now.

"To have Edward home would have been enough, but having all of you here just made it so much greater. It's been a long time since this house has held this much life and laughter. I'm just a little sad that you're all leaving."

I reached up with my thumb and wiped a small mascara smudge from her cheek. "Now you're making me cry."

Esme looked at me with wide, apologetic eyes and then we burst into an uncontrollable giggle fit.

"Whats going on in here?" Emmett stood in the foyer, looking at us, with his arms full of the contraband he'd lifted from Esme's kitchen. By the look on his face, I could tell he couldn't decide if he should laugh with us or be worried about the tears that were streaming down our faces.

"Oh, don't mind us, we're just being silly, weepy, girls," Esme tried to control her laughter as she spoke to Emmett.

I didn't even try. I just kept on laughing.

"Alrighty then…let's get this show on the road," he said with authority.

Everyone kissed Esme goodbye and then began packing our bags into the Jeep.

Emmett yelled from the open tailgate of the Jeep. "Hey, Bella…what's this box back here?"

"Just something I want to bring back to Seattle. You can throw my bag on top of it," I hollered back at him from the porch.

"One more thing before you go, Bella," Esme said, taking my hand in hers.

"Hmm?" I said as I turned on my heels to face her.

"You and Edward take care of each other," she beamed.

I sighed and hugged her again. "We're gonna try, Esme."

"Just let him in, dear," she whispered in my ear and patted my back. "If you can do that, the rest of it will just fall into place."

I squeezed her tighter and replied quietly, "thanks, Esme…for everything."

Esme reminded Emmett to drive carefully as Rosalie climbed in the front passenger seat, and Alice, Jasper and I piled into the back seat. She waved at us from the front porch as we drove away.

Emmett drove down the long, windy private road and thankfully gave over the controls of the iPod to Rosalie. Alice and I breathed a sigh of relief until the eerie guitar swells of the all too familiar "Heaven Beside You," by Alice in Chains poured out of the speakers. At least she chose something relatively subtle to start out and the volume wasn't cranked yet.

"Nice choice, baby," Emmett said, reaching over to take her hand in his.

Jasper sat between me and Alice and kept turning his head every few seconds to look at both of us. It was a good while before he asked, "What's up with the pillows?"

I snickered, and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket to text Edward.

_We're leaving Forks now – should be home around 3:00. When will I see you? - B_

Emmett and Rosalie were having a quiet conversation in the front seat, and Alice and Jasper were playfully chatting next to me. I was the fifth wheel figuratively as well as mathematically. The text conversation and every anticipated buzz of my phone were the only things that held any interest for me on this road trip.

_As soon as is humanly possible - E_

"Who are you texting?" Alice asked as she leaned forward to peak around Jasper.

"Her new boyfriend," Emmett said in a high pitched, syrupy, teasing tone.

"Leave her alone, Emmett," Rosalie growled and then she turned her head over her shoulder and smiled at me.

"Its okay, Rose," I said writing my next text. I glanced up at her from my phone as a broad smile spread across my face. "I _am_ texting my boyfriend."

"Ooooooh," Emmett teased. I caught his eyes in the rearview mirror, and he winked at me. "Bella's got a boyfriend."

"Brat," I grumbled and rolled my eyes at him. I pressed the send button on my phone.

_I can't wait to see you. – B_

As we drove along on our way back to Seattle, the music got progressively louder and Emmett's vocal styling more offensive with every mile.

Rosalie calmly flipped through fashion magazines next to him, completely unmoved, not even remotely annoyed by the sheer volume of his voice or the stereo.

Alice, on the other hand, was highly agitated. The only song that didn't seem to make things worse was "Bittersweet Symphony," by The Verve. Jasper did his best to placate her and to keep her distracted. I giggled when I thought about how lucky Emmett was that I was sitting behind him and not Alice, as I was sure she would have clobbered him somewhere during the chorus of "Sex Type Thing," by Stone Temple Pilots.

Emmett's phone rang and within seconds my phone vibrated in my hand. He turned down the music and answered his call while I read my new text.

_I can't wait to kiss you - E_

I closed my eyes and bit my lip, thankful that no one was paying any attention to me at all. I could feel the heat spread over my face as I debated how I should reply. It was going to be a long day as it was, but with these little love notes via text messaging, it was also going to be a slow torturous day until we were back together.

"Hey kids, I'm going to need to make a pit stop when we get to Port Angeles," Emmett announced.

I was still staring at a blank screen on my phone ten minutes later. This banter between us could turn beyond suggestive at any moment. I wanted to play the game but I didn't want my mouth to get too far ahead of my ass so to speak, so I carefully thought about how to respond.

I looked up from my phone briefly to see where we were, but then I turned my attention back to my response to Edward. I wanted to seem sexy but not too overt.

_I can't wait to be kissed - B_

Emmett pulled up to the gas pump, put the Jeep in park and turned off the engine, but he didn't get out. It took a few seconds for me to realize that no one did.

I looked over at Alice and Jasper and they were both looking right back at me with expectant smiles. A wrinkle knitted across my brow, and my eyes darted to Rosalie who was slightly turned around in her seat, looking over her shoulder at me through giant white framed sunglasses and a smirk on her face.

"Why aren't you getting gas, Emmett?" I sat up on the edge of the seat, facing Alice, Jasper and Rosalie.

"Don't need gas," he answered as he turned over his shoulder and winked at me.

"What's going on?" I asked self consciously.

Alice stifled a giggle and replied, "Nothing."

My cell phone buzzed in my hand again, but this time I didn't make a move to flip open my phone. I was too freaked out about everyone staring at me to be all that concerned.

"What?!" I demanded.

Jasper patted my knee, dipped his head towards mine and pointed at my phone, "Are you going to check that?"

"Something is really, truly wrong with you people." My eyes narrowed into a squint as I stared down each and every one of them before I read the text.

_Turn around Bella - E_

"Shut. Up." I dropped my hand holding the phone to my lap and my eyes flew open wide and focused on Alice's face.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked back at me with a wide grin and then giggled, "You shut up."

Rosalie whistled like a guy and hissed, "Nice car."

I slowly turned to look over my left shoulder and what I saw took my breath away. Just across the parking lot, Edward Cullen was leaning against a shiny, new, black car with one hand flat against the hood, and one hand in his pocket. His hair was bronze and perfect in the sunlight, and it danced wildly in the breeze. He smiled from behind his Ray Bans and waved at me. His long legs were stretched out with his feet crossed at the ankle. He was beautiful, and I was stunned.

"Go on, Bella," Emmett encouraged.

I quickly released my seat belt and opened the door. In classic Bella form, I stumbled out of the back seat rather ungracefully, which, of course, elicited a great deal of snickering from inside the Jeep. I didn't care.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled hoarsely.

"Waiting for you," he answered coolly as the smile on his face grew wider.

I took off in a dead run across the parking lot. He pushed himself away from the car and took a few steps in my direction just before I launched myself into his arms, wrapping my arms and my legs around him. His strong hands gripped my butt and held me up.

"I can't believe you're here," I squealed in his ear as he spun me around. I crossed my ankles behind him, kept my hands clasped around his neck, and pulled away from him to look into his eyes. "How did you do this?"

"I had a little help," he said nudging his chin in the direction of the Jeep.

Emmett waved when we turned our attention in their direction.

All of our friends were out of the car and watching us have our moment.

I whispered his name and then kissed him with everything I had. I held his face in my hands and lost myself in him and in his smell, his taste, his kiss.

I could hear Emmett heckling us as he walked across the parking lot.

I pulled my lips away from him, and buried my head in the crook of his neck, squeezing my arms tight around his neck.

"Nice ride, cuz," Emmett said running his fingers up the back quarter panel of the car.

Edward released his grip on my back side and I slid down his body until I found my feet underneath me.

"It's really pretty, Edward. It's all sparkly," Alice added, reaching for the door handle to the driver's side door and peaking in.

"It's not sparkly Alice, it's just new," he replied with a chuckle.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me tight to his side. I slipped my arms around his waist and stared up at his face, completely dumbstruck. He looked down at me and smiled.

"What is it?" Jasper asked.

Edward opened his mouth to answer, but Rosalie cut him off before he could even start. She walked around the car dragging a finger along the smooth lines of the new car as she spoke, "It's a high performance, 2009, Volvo S60R with a 257 horse power engine. I'd only heard a rumor that they were bringing back the R series; I can't believe you got one."

"Damn, baby," Emmett said proudly.

Everyone took their turn telling him how nice his new car was. Rosalie sat in the driver's seat and rattled off its list of accessories and after market additions this particular model had.

Emmett brought my stuff from the Jeep to the rear of the car. He tapped his knuckles on the trunk and said, "Hey, man, open the trunk and I'll load Bella's stuff in."

He pressed a button on his new remote and the trunk popped open.

Alice came bouncing up to me, carrying my hand bag and prattling on about dinner plans.

Emmett dragged Rosalie out of the driver's seat of Edward's new car, Alice reminded us what time we were to meet at the restaurant, and then we all kissed each other goodbye.

Edward walked me to the passenger side, and opened my door for me. He caught me by the waist before I got into the car and pulled me to his lips for a quick kiss.

"Do you realize that we're going to be completely alone for the next seven hours?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Seven whole hours?"

"Mmm Hmm," he hummed and then kissed me again.

The obnoxious blare of a horn pierced the quiet of the moment. Edward and I looked up, slightly disoriented, to see Emmett waving at us as he peeled out of the gas station parking lot.

"I love them, I really, really do," I said as I waved back. "But I couldn't be happier that they're driving away, and I'm staying here with you."

He followed my lead and raised his hand, waving at them, laughing. "That makes two of us."

Edward and I climbed into the new car, ready to start our journey to Seattle. He turned to look at me, leaned over the console and put one hand gently on my cheek. He kissed me and then asked, "Ready?"

"Ready."

We drove along the 101 and talked for an hour before I realized there was no music. It wasn't like him to not have music.

"Do you mind if I turn on the stereo?" I asked him as I reached for the controls.

"No, go ahead," he said. "Why don't you go ahead and set up my presets for me. I haven't had the chance to do that yet."

"You're going to let _me_ choose your presets?" I looked at him with one eyebrow raised, completely surprised that the audiophile in him would give up this kind of task to an amateur.

"Well it's not like its going to be without supervision, Bella. If you pick something I don't like, I'll just tell you," he said very matter of factly.

I pressed the scan button and began choosing stations. Since he had Sirius radio, there were lots of choices. At first I'd look at him for approval before I programmed the station, but soon I just starting picking what I liked. I gave him a classical station, CNN, NPR, BBC Radio 1, Classic Jazz, 70's and 80's classic rock, and Elvis Radio, which of course I didn't tell him I'd actually set that one. It would make him laugh later when he realized what I had done.

I left the stereo on the classic rock station, and I sang along to almost every song. Eddie Money, Journey, .38 Special, Foreigner, Styx…it was awesome.

"Mom and Dad used to play this when I was a kid. I love this stuff!" I exclaimed, dancing in my seat and singing along to "Take the Long Way Home," by Supertramp.

"Me too," he announced in between his own singing. "Did you know that Rolling Stone called, "Breakfast in America" was one of the single most important albums of the post-Beatles era?"

"You are such a nerd," I giggled.

He just reached over and turned up the volume and we sang louder…all the way to Seattle.

**End Notes:**

**WETward was for all my girls on the Restoration Thread over at Twilighted. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks again for reading and don't forget to leave a comment!! I'm THIS close to reaching 500 reviews…I'm just sayin'. **


	16. Freeze

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your comments on the previous chapter pushed me over the 500 milestone and also made it the highest comment count for a chapter for this story so far. Yea!! I'm humbled by your kind words and love hearing your thoughts and opinions. Everyone seemed to love WETward. So much in fact, I think he might have to make a command performance in future chapters. **

**Lots of you have asked if I've forgotten that Edward has Bella's necklace. I promise I haven't forgotten...just waiting for the right Cinder-bella moment, no worries. **

**The song for this chappie is Freeze, by Jordin Sparks. It's a really great song, and as always a link is available on my profile page. **

**Hugs and special thanks to my super beta, Tigress, who works her magic and makes me look good and to Katydid for helping me keep all the details in check. mwah!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight doesn't belong to me, but I borrow liberally from it for my own, twisted entertainment. **

Chapter 16: Freeze

EPOV

Bella directed me though the streets of her neighborhood, pointing out her favorite restaurants, her coffee shop, and eventually her apartment building. I easily found a parking spot on the street in front of her building.

"Now that's some good parking Karma," she said with surprise.

As far as I was concerned, off street parking wasn't exactly good karmic balance considering my car had only been in my possession for all of five hours, but what other choice did I have? I put my arm across the back of her seat and looked to my right and through the back glass. "Is there really such a thing?" I asked as I maneuvered my new car into the prime parking space.

"Maybe," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I like to think so.

I parked the car and went to the trunk to get Bella's bags. She lingered around by the passenger door, juggling a small tote bag on her shoulder and digging through the other bag for her keys.

When the trunk sprang open, I saw a box with my name written across the top of it.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"What's this box with my name on it?" I asked peeking around the edge of the open trunk door.

That beautiful blush that I was so fond of flooded her cheeks as she stuttered her reply, "It's nothing…I…umm…"

"Since it has my name on it, does that mean I get to open it?" I asked with a smirk on my face.

"No, it doesn't," she protested with a giggle as she rounded the tail end of the car, yanking the small bags onto her shoulder, and reaching past me to pick up the box herself.

"But it has my name on it," I grinned at her as I backed away from the trunk with my hands held up in surrender, so she could get what she so desperately wanted to keep from me.

Bella stood in front of me, held the bulky box in front of her, suinted in the sun and sighed. "It's just a bunch of old stuff I saved from high school; it's really no big deal."

I pulled her bag out and closed the trunk. I stepped up onto the sidewalk right in front of her and said, "If it's no big deal, then why can't I look?"

"I promise we'll look at this stuff later tonight," she sighed. "After dinner, okay?"

"Deal."

Bella walked the few short steps across the sidewalk to her apartment building, and opened the door. I followed her through the lobby and into the elevator, and then along the narrow, vanilla hallway that led to her apartment.

"This is me," she announced, stopping in front of a door at the end of the hall. She balanced the awkward box in her arms against the door and her knee, and she pushed open the door. "Home sweet home."

I reached up to hold the door open for her and then followed her in. "Cool place."

"It's kind of small, but I love the neighborhood, I have a huge closet, and I've got a pretty great view of the city," she said putting her bags and the box down on the dining room table.

I dropped her bag beside the table and walked to the double doors that led out to a balcony that ran the length of her apartment. There was a second set of doors that opened onto the balcony from the kitchen.

"The balcony alone makes it worth it," I said pushing open the double French doors and stepped outside leaning against the railing as I looked out over the city and all the way to the Sound. "What a view!"

Bella came out and stood beside me with her back against the railing, leaning against her elbows, and she said quietly, "I couldn't agree more."

I turned my head to look at her and she was looking at me, biting her lip. I reached over with one hand and pulled her in front of me so that she was between me and the railing. My hands clamped onto the wrought iron of the railing on either side of her as I leaned towards her.

"You know I really did think about nothing but kissing you the whole time I was driving this morning," I said before pressing my lips against hers.

She slipped her hands over my shoulders, smiled at me and said, "That was the plan,"

"Excellent execution," I said as I reached for her hips, pulling her closer to me, and I kissed her again.

Her hands moved from my shoulders to my neck. Her sweet lips parted for me and I felt her fingers tug gently at me as she threaded them through my hair, which sent a thrill through the heart of me. I needed to feel more of her against me, so I slid my hands down her back, over her backside and bent over slightly to pick her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, moaning quietly into the kiss.

She felt so perfect in my arms, with her whole body wrapped around me like this, but there was a ridiculous moral argument raging in my mind. This was Bella. My first love. Although she and I were both clearly grown up and not the awkward teenagers we were back then, I was nervous being with her like this. Our innocent and intense past washed over me like a wave.

To our left we heard the sound of someone whistling some innocuous melody. Bella pulled her lips away from me and looked over her shoulder, only slightly embarrassed.

"Just watering the plants, don't mind me," her neighbor said, averting his eyes and trying not to interrupt.

I fully expected Bella to untangle herself from me and end our little make out session. But she completely surprised me when she giggled, said hello to her neighbor, and then whispered in my ear, "Maybe we should take this inside."

She kissed and nipped at my neck as I stumbled backwards, carrying her through the open double doors. Her lips at my neck, her body pressed against me and the unfamiliarity of her apartment left me flustered and confused. I didn't know where to go, or where I should turn.

"Couch," she ordered hoarsely.

I made a beeline for the couch and gently laid her on her back. She kept her arms wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me on top of her. I looked at her and then greedily recaptured her mouth with a heated kiss. I balanced the weight of my body on one arm and slowly moved my other hand down her ribcage barely grazing the side of her breast with the palm of my hand.

She gasped and her body flinched against my touch.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I apologized breathlessly.

She looked up at me with her warm brown eyes and said, "its okay."

I pulled away from her, and sat back against the couch. "I'm such an ass."

She sat up next to me, brushing her fingers against the wisps of hair at the back of my neck and comforted me, "You're not an ass."

"I should have been more careful with you."

"I might be a little jumpy Edward, but I'm not as fragile as you think I am," she said quietly. "It's just been a while since anyone's touched me like this. It's been even longer since I've _wanted_ anyone to touch me like this."

_Here we go_. "How long?"

She took a deep breath and sighed, "two and a half years."

_James._ My blood began to boil and I could feel the anger rising up in my chest like a flame.

"Hmm," was the only acknowledgement I could manage while biting my tongue and keeping my knowledge of her secret in check.

"What about you? When was your last relationship?" she asked, completely unaware of the battle that was raging in my head.

"I only really ever had two relationships the whole time I was in London," I said as I propped my feet up on the coffee table and laced my fingers behind my neck. "The last one ended about three years ago."

"Oh, so you dated a lot then," she assumed quite shyly.

"I tried but it was just so exhausting."

Bella laughed. "I bet it was exhausting. A hot, eligible bachelor working his way through the social elite and available women of London…when did you find time to rest?"

"It wasn't like that at all," I chuckled and dropped one arm to rest on the couch while I slapped my thigh with the other. "Just because I dated a lot doesn't mean I slept around a lot."

"Uh huh," she said, her voice full of sarcasm as she crossed her arms.

"Okay, so I slept around," I admitted. "But not a lot."

"Manwhore."

"I am not," I protested.

"How many?"

"How many what," I asked, knowing exactly what she was asking. I was hoping that by making her clarify the question and force the words out of her mouth, it would pink up her cheeks for me.

Just as I had hoped, a delicate blush washed over her face and then she asked quietly, "How many women have you been with?"

It was an awkward question, but I always knew this would come up, eventually. I balked and said, "You first."

Bella shifted uncomfortably on the couch next to me, drawing her knees up tight to her chest and then wrapped her arms around her shins. "Four."

"That's it?" The confession made me feel both happy and embarrassed. Happy because it wasn't a list of lovers a mile long, this helped maintain the illusion of her innocence, and a little embarrassed because I had to admit to double digits.

She repeated her answer with a nod, "Four."

"Wow. By comparison I guess I am a manwhore," I said running my fingers through my hair.

She laughed nervously, "C'mon Edward. How many?"

I closed my eyes, and then slowly opened one eye so I could see her reaction as I confessed, "Nineteen."

"Oh," she said quietly. I watched her expression and could see the gears of her thoughts as they clicked and turned. "That's nothing."

"Really? Well compared to you - "

She interrupted me, "Yeah, but I'm a prude, and a girl. So, you can't compare your sexual history to mine. Now, if we compare apples to apples and put you up against Emmett, you're practically a monk!"

"I guess when you put it that way, it isn't so bad," I chuckled.

"Hmmm…" she brought her hand to her chest. Her fingers moved as if she was searching for something there. "That wasn't so hard."

"What wasn't," I asked. I moved my feet off the coffee table and shifted my position on the couch with one leg folded underneath me, turning to face her.

She crossed her legs, tucked her elbows in tight to her body, leaning forward slightly. "I just thought it would be hard to talk about the part of our past that didn't include each other," she said.

Again I thought of James.

"It doesn't have to be hard," I said rubbing her knee. "None of that stuff really matters unless it creates some kind of roadblock for us.

"So you're saying we don't have to sit down across the table from one another with a bottle of vodka and confess all of our relationship sins?"

I knew I was lying to her when I said, "I don't need to know anything you don't want to tell me. No vodka necessary."

"Good," she said satisfied that her secrets would remain her own.

"But you know you can tell me anything, right?" I asked, hoping I was leaving the door open for her to _want_ to tell me about James. "There isn't anything you can't trust me with. There is nothing you could say or do that would scare me off, Bella."

She planted her hands on either side of her hips and leaned forward pressing her lips against mine, kissing me softly. "I almost believe you."

I put my hands on her shoulders, "Bella…"

"Glass half empty, remember? " Her shoulders sank as she spoke the words.

I reached for her waist and pulled her onto my lap, tickling her sides. She flinched and turned in my arms as I playfully growled, "I told you the glass is overflowing. When are you going to get it through your thick head that I'm right?"

She laughed and twitched breathlessly in my lap, "Okay! Enough! You're right!"

"That's better," I stopped tickling her and the smile slowly faded from her face. Her dark eyes slowly moved over every feature of my face as she raised her hand to my cheek and lightly traced her fingers along my hairline. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips and then nuzzled her nose against mine before she kissed me again. She held my face in her hands and then she slowly placed warm, deliberate kisses on my lips, my chin, my cheeks, my nose, and my eyelids.

When her lips reached the corner of my mouth, I couldn't hold back. I desperately reached for her with my kiss. A tiny moan escaped her as I licked at her lips, begging an invitation. She opened her kiss to me and I groaned in satisfaction.

There was and never would be another woman on the planet that made me feel like I did when I was with her. I was completely consumed by her. I was lost. I felt myself growing stiff underneath her and I groaned against her lips.

"Bella," I panted. "We have to stop."

"Oh…OH!" she said with recognition, looking down. She quickly slipped off me, settling on the couch beside me. "Sorry"

"Don't be," I said, trying to adjust myself without being too obvious. "I'm just sorry I ever told you I was fine taking things slow."

"Speaking of which," she said running her delicate fingers across her chest again searching for something. "I suppose now is a good time to tell you about rule number nine."

I sat up straight against the couch, in preparation for the big, bad, revelation of the dreaded number nine. "Okay."

"God, this is so embarrassing. I don't generally have to have this conversation. As a matter of fact, I can't ever recall being in a situation where I ever had to divulge the existence of the rule, I just implemented it," she said as she fidgeted on the couch beside me. "Damn Emmett and his big mouth. The fact that I even feel the need to tell you is all his fault!"

I reached over and took her hand in mine, and tried to calm her. "Hey…whatever it is, it's not worth all this set up, Bella. It won't change anything."

"You're only saying that because you don't know what it is."

"Just spit it out."

"Okay." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Rule number nine is…no sex until the sixth date."

I didn't as much as blink at her revelation, because honestly, I had suspected something of the sort. I waited until she opened her eyes and looked at me before I replied with a smile, "That's it?"

"You're not mad?"

"Mad? No, I'm not mad," I said threading my fingers through hers. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed, but, Bella, all you're asking for here is time. I'm okay with that."

"Really?"

"Truly."

I watched as a wave of relief washed over her face and she threw her arms around my neck hugging me tight. "Thank you for understanding."

"Don't thank me, Bella," I cautioned. "Just because I'm okay with it, doesn't mean that I'm not going to try to tempt you at every opportunity in hopes that you'll cave."

"Edward!" She pulled away from me and looked at me in shock, slapping playfully at me.

"What? I'm just saying it shouldn't be that hard considering we just spent the entire weekend together," I said leaning back against the couch, pulling her to my chest. "So what, we've got four dates behind us, only two more to go, right?"

"Four?"

"Yeah…Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and today."

"Try one, Edward," she said running her hand across my chest as if she was smoothing out the soft cotton of my t-shirt.

"One?" I chuffed. "You never were very good at math, Bella."

"You only asked me once," she said smartly.

I rubbed my hands up and down her back trying to find some kind of loophole in her theory, but found none. All she needed was time…I could give her that.

"Point taken," I conceded.

She looked up at me smiling.

"Since 'dates' are clearly defined by invitation, will go you go to dinner with me tonight?"

Her brow wrinkled up as she said, "but we already have plans to go to dinner with everybody tonight. Alice will be furious if we ditch them, besides I want to spend more time with Rosalie and Jasper before they leave tomorrow."

"We're not going to ditch them, silly, I'm just _asking_ you to let me _take_ you,"

"Aren't you a sneaky one," she said nestling back against my chest and my embrace.

"Is that a 'yes' or a 'no,' Ms. Swan?"

"It's a date," she giggled.

"Yessssss!" I hissed and pumped my fist in the air. "What time should I pick you up?"

"Uhmm…6:45 should be good. The restaurant is in the neighborhood, so we can just walk over from here."

"Perfect." I looked at my watch. "I should probably go. I have to get downtown and get checked in."

She pressed her hand against my chest and sat up beside me and asked, "Are you staying in a hotel?"

"No, my company made reservations for me at a corporate housing condo in the business district."

"Well, if you have to go, you have to go," she said with the sting of sadness in her voice.

"I really should. I need to try to get my bearings, get unpacked, try to settle in a little before I have to get back to work tomorrow," I explained.

She stood up beside me and offered me her hand. "Okay then, let's get you on your way."

I let her pull me up from the couch. I held her hand as she led me out of her apartment, outside to the now busy sidewalk and to my car.

"See you at 6:45," she said, rising up on her toes and slipping her hands over my shoulders. She kissed me quickly and hugged me before she sent me on my way.

I got in the car and watched her go back inside her building. I pressed a few buttons on my new GPS and followed the directions from Bella's apartment to my temporary home in the city.

BPOV

At 6:30 I got a text.

_On my way – E_

I frantically pulled a brush through my hair with one hand and waved a blow dryer over my head with the other.

Once my hair was dry, I quickly brushed on some blush, a few strokes of neutral, shimmery eye shadow, some mascara and then blotted a little shiny lip tint with my fingertips. I checked myself in the full length mirror that hung on the inside of my closet door, thanking Alice silently for making me buy the pretty, knit, tuxedo shirt that I was wearing. The deep, rich, teal blue color looked great against my skin, and the fit made my boobs look fantastic.

I did a quick turn to check out my backside and then just as I flipped off the light switch, my phone rang. I answered the call, buzzed Edward into the building. I checked my hair one last time in the mirror that hung in the entry way, and then stood facing the front door, bouncing on my toes, waiting for him to knock.

I open the door expectantly and gasped when instead of seeing Edward's handsome face I was greeted with the biggest and most beautiful bouquet of white Casablanca lilies.

He dropped the bunch of flowers from in front of his face, revealing a devastating smile and said, "Flowers for my beautiful date."

"Edward, you shouldn't have, but I'm so glad you did." I reached for the flowers, taking them from his hand and leaned over them to kiss him, lingering for a moment for a second, soft kiss. "Let me get these in water, and then we can go."

He followed me to the kitchen and watched as I took the lilies from the brown paper wrapped around the stems and trimmed the tips before I put them a crystal vase. We talked about what we did with our few hours apart as I quickly arranged the flowers and then put them on the dining room table. I stood back from the table's edge, put my hands on my hips and tilted my head to the right, trying to decide if the arrangement was lopsided.

Edward snuck up behind me, and sipped his hands around my waist, nestling his chin on my shoulder.

"Does it look even to you?" I asked, running my hands along his forearms.

"It's perfect," he said tightening his arms around me, pulling me closer to him.

I snuggled into his embrace and said, "They're beautiful, thank you."

"I'm just trying to make a good impression," he breathed into my neck, sending a shiver across my skin.

"We…we should go," I stuttered, untangling myself from his arms. "Alice doesn't like it when I'm late."

"Damn that Alice," he said sarcastically, shaking his fists in the air.

I picked up my handbag, my keys and a small stack of envelopes from the entry way table on my way to the front door. Edward was right behind me.

It was a short three block walk to Nalla's, our favorite neighborhood haunt. The food at Nalla's was little more than fancy pub food, but they had the best patio in all of Seattle, and the 'tres amigos' had staked a claim on the premiere table several years ago.

I led Edward through the front bar and we wove our way through the scattered tables of the front restaurant, saying "hello" to the staff on our way to the back patio. They all smiled, but I could see past their smiles and read the absolute shock on their faces. I'd never brought anyone, much less a date, or even more, a boyfriend, into this sacred place. I giggled quietly at their response to Edward.

We walked from the quiet of the restaurant to the bustle of the vibrant patio. Thousands of twinkle lights, and illuminated paper stars crisscrossed the length of the patio and the thump of Irish folk music bounced off the tin awning that covered the bar.

Edward looked around and nodded his head in approval. "Not bad."

"I thought the Irish in you would approve," I said taking his hand and leading him across the patio to our table in the corner. "We love this place."

"I can see why."

Emmett was in his usual spot, relaxed comfortably in his chair with his arm draped over the back of Rosalie's chair beside him. He sipped a Guinness, while she drank something clear in a high ball glass with a lime.

He raised his hand and bellowed across the patio, "Hells Bells! Edward!"

Edward waved and I looked at him, completely flushed at the unwanted attention.

I felt an arm snake around my shoulders, and the very physical presence of someone walking in step next to me.

"Are you cheating on me?" a familiar, animated voice sang by my ear.

I turned to my left to find our favorite server and friend, Tom, next to me. He had the same look of surprise on his face, with his lips twisted up in a pucker, as his eyes darted from me to Edward and back again.

Tom was a tall, lanky guy with a swimmer's build, reddish brown hair and a tiny constellation of freckles that splayed across his nose and cheeks. His blue eyes twinkled with mischief and the tiny lines around them only hinted to his hard partying ways. He spent more money on his Diesel jeans than I spent on my car insurance and he was famous for his smart ass message t-shirts. Tonight he was wearing a personal favorite that said, "Oh her? She's just a friend."

"Oh Tom, you know it would never work between us," I said dramatically, winding my free arm around his waist and leaning into his hug.

"It's because I'm prettier, isn't it?" he sassed, flipping pretend hair over his shoulder like Cher.

"No, it's because we both know you'd rather steal my boyfriend than _be_ my boyfriend," I said raising mine and Edward's clasped hands up in front of us.

"Shut the fuck up!" he squealed. Tom dropped his arm from my shoulder and kept walking with us, his hands flailing in the air. "First, Emmett walks in with that blonde bombshell over there and now you show up with this gorgeous, green eyed god. What the hell?"

We reached our table just as Tom was finishing his rant. Emmett choked on his beer and said, "The world's gone nuts, huh, Tom?"

"I should have known something was up when you guys weren't here for the recovery brunch on Sunday," he said planting his hands on his hips. His big wide eyes shifted between us.

Edward held out his hand to Tom, "No one has ever called me a god before…I'm Edward."

"Very nice to meet you, Edward," Tom shook his hand. "And believe me when I tell you, you've been called a god before; you just weren't within ear shot when it was said."

Edward dropped his chin to his chest and laughed.

"Take it easy, Tom. Edward's new. We don't need you freaking him out on his first night in Seattle," Emmett said with a chuckle.

I went over to hug Rosalie and then gave Emmett a quick kiss on the cheek before I sat down beside him. "He's fine, Emmett. Aren't you Edward?"

Tom pulled his hand away from Edward, watched him take a seat next to me and sighed, "Girl, why do all the good ones go to your church?"

"Oh please, Tom. I've been saying the same thing to you for years."

"Pishaw!" he scoffed. "Where's the pixie?"

A leggy brunette strutted past the table and winked and waved her fingers at Emmett, and cooed, "Hey, Emmett."

He nudged me under the table and turned his attention to Rosalie, trying desperately to ignore the girl.

"I'm surprised she's not here already," I said trying to stifle a giggle. I felt a little bad that I was completely entertained at Emmett's situation, knowing that as the night dragged on, it would only get worse. .

"I can't believe she's late." Emmett shot me a quick pleading look and then took a sip of his beer.

"Is she going to walk up in here with some hottie on her arm, too?" Tom asked as he flipped open his order book. "I mean if the fabric of reality as I know it has a gaping hole in it and all three of you perpetual singletons have paired up, I'd like some kind of warning."

"Well, consider yourself warned, my friend," Emmett replied and nodded across the patio.

Alice pranced through the maze of tables, towing Jasper along behind her.

"God dammit!" Tom cursed under his breath, leaning forward on our table. "He's even hotter than your guy, Bella."

Beer dribbled down Emmett's chin as he tried to suppress his laughter.

"No offense, man," Tom said to Edward.

"None taken," Edward chuckled.

"You're late," Emmett mocked Alice as she walked up to the table.

"I don't think you want to start this argument, Emmett," she said with one eyebrow raised. Her sour face melted quickly when she turned to kiss Tom on the cheek. "Hi, honey. I want you to meet someone. Tom, this is Jasper."

Jasper held out his hand to Tom and said, "Nice to meet you, Tom."

"Emmett!!," an ear piercing, thin voiced shrieked from the direction of the bar.

He cringed next to me, and slowly turned his head to see who, or better yet what was coming his way. A busty, over processed blonde, who had spent entirely too much time in a tanning bed, was trying to shove her way through the crowd. Emmett squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head. Much to his relief, she was distracted by some meat head who grabbed her by the waist and pulling her roughly against him.

I leaned over to him and whispered, "You are so screwed, my friend."

"Shut up." He growled.

Rosalie sipped on her drink, blissfully unaware of Emmett's current crisis. Knowing Rosalie, she was so sure of herself that Emmett's reputation and past conquests meant so little to her that all of this attention was barely a blip on her radar. I envied that about her.

Tom, Alice and Jasper exchanged a few pleasantries and then Tom went to the bar to get our drinks.

Emmett escaped two more hoochie advances and then managed three rounds of drinks before we ordered our food.

I ate most of my chicken sandwich under the watchful eye of Edward. He said more than once that I shouldn't drink my dinner.

Jasper drank as if he was on a mission, which was understandable considering he and Rosalie were leaving for L.A. tomorrow. After another beer, he started ordering shots of whiskey. All six of us participated in the first round, as Jasper toasted, "To the best friends I ever had and the best damn weekend of my entire life."

Shortly after his third shot of Jameson's, I began to see that the gravity of what tomorrow morning would bring was beginning to wear on his face and his posture.

"Oh! I almost forgot," I announced and promptly started digging through my bag. "I've got something for you guys."

I handed everyone an envelope and waited for them to find their surprise. I glanced around the table at my friends, thankful that we were all back together, even if it was for only for just a little while longer.

Alice tore in to hers and was the first to retrieve the photo from the envelope.

"Where did you get this?" Alice asked excitedly. She stared at the photo in her hand and then threw her head back, laughing.

"Esme took it, and she gave me a copy before we left Forks," I explained as I leaned towards Edward, looking at the photo of the six of us piled in the bed. "It's pretty perfect."

"God bless your Mother and that damn camera," Rosalie said with an uncharacteristic giggle.

Emmett balanced his photo on the table in front of him against the salt and pepper shakers. He carefully tapped the edges and made sure it was stable before he leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms. "Very cool, Bella. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Em," I said as I patted him on the leg.

"This is really great, Bella," Edward said and then kissed me. "Thank you."

Alice and Jasper were cuddled up, looking at the picture together pointing and laughing at all the details that Esme had captured so precisely.

"I think its time to go home, Emmett," Rosalie slurred as she put the glass against her lips, polishing off her sixth or seventh gin gimlet.

He put his hand on her back, rubbing broad but gentle strokes across her shoulders. "Are you sure, baby?"

"I'm sure that if you don't get me to bed in the next half hour, there will be no hope for sex tonight," she said as she put down her glass and sucked on the lime.

Emmett jumped to his feet, digging through his pocket for his money. "You heard the lady. We're outta here."

Rosalie stood up slowly and turned to kiss and hug Alice.

I stood up from the table and she slowly shuffled right into my open arms.

"You be sweet to Edward, Bella," she whispered loud enough that I knew Edward heard her, because I heard him choke on his beer behind me. "Don't run him off with your Goddamn rules."

"I won't," I giggled.

She pulled away from me enough to look me in the eye and tried once again to whisper, "I mean it, Bella, don't over analyze this. Enjoy it."

Edward stood next to us and put his hand on my back, patiently waiting his turn to say goodbye to Rosalie.

"I promise, I won't," I said as I pushed her hair behind her shoulders. "You come back as soon as you can."

Rosalie leaned forward and kissed me on the lips and said, "you got it, babe."

I hugged her again to hide the tears that were flooding my eyes.

Emmett was sorting through a crumpled wad of cash, and then looked up at Edward helplessly, "Can you take care of this for me? I've gotta get her home."

Edward held out his hand and said, "Go."

Emmett slapped the money into Edward's hand and said, "thanks, man."

Alice came over to me and Rosalie and flung her tiny arms around both of us.

"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff," Rose said twisting out of our embrace. "If I start crying now, I won't stop until sometime next week and I've got shit to do. C'mere, Edward."

Edward wrapped Rosalie in a big hug, lifting her off the ground.

"Don't you dare say goodbye," she ordered.

"See you soon," he said as he gently put her feet back down on the ground.

Rosalie roughly slapped her hand against his face and purred, "good boy."

Emmett kissed me and Alice good night and then he practically sprinted across the patio, dragging Rosalie behind him. She turned back to wave at us before they slipped out of sight.

Alice, Edward and I turned back to the table to find Jasper reaching over for Emmett's abandoned beer with tears streaming down his face.

Alice and I rushed to his side to comfort him, and Edward took his seat, staring at us, shaking his head.

Tom came over with our bill, dropped the little black folder in front of Edward and said, "What the hell did you do?"

"Me?!" he yelped, as he sat up in his chair and opened the folder to look at the bill. "What makes you think I did this?"

"You're the only one not crying," he said as he stepped over to Alice and patted her on the head.

Jasper looked up bleary eyed at Tom and sniffed, "I'm going back to L.A. tomorrow."

"Ah…well in that case," he said fishing out a small stack of cocktail napkins out of his apron. He winked at Edward and walked away.

A familiar cell phone ring pulled my focus to Edward. He flipped open his phone and answered the call.

"Hello? – Oh hey, Victoria, what's up?"

Alice's head shot up and looked at me and mouthed, 'Victoria'?

I wiped my face with a napkin, turned my gaze to Edward and shrugged my shoulders.

Edward tucked a credit card with the bill, waved it at Tom and excused himself from the table.

I was moderately distracted by Edward and his phone call as I listened to Alice talk Jasper down off the emotional ledge he was teetering on and got him calmed down. Eventually, she had him laughing.

I chatted absently with Alice and Jasper, but my eyes were on Edward while he had his private conversation with _Victoria_. When he caught me staring at him, he winked and walked back to the table.

"…sounds good. I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said as he reached the table and snapped his phone shut.

He sat down and opened the bill. With a flourish he signed the credit card slip and then put his credit card and the receipt in his slim, black leather wallet.

"Ready?" he asked, looking up at us.

"Who's Victoria?" Alice asked coolly.

"Calm down, Alice," he chuckled easily. "She's a partner in the firm, and she's going to be helping me open the new office. Strictly business."

I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Good," she said sharply.

"Alice, can we go home?" Jasper asked quietly and then hiccupped. "I think we should go home."

Alice pulled out her wallet and handed Edward some money for the bill and then we helped Jasper to his feet.

We walked them to Alice's car and then hugged them goodbye before tucking Jasper safely in the passenger seat and buckling his seat belt.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" Edward asked as he held the car door open for her.

"I stopped drinking two hours ago, so I'm fine," she assured him. "Besides I only have to go about 10 blocks."

He helped her into the car and said, "See you tomorrow."

We waived at them as they drove away up the hill and then started walking back to my place.

"So…Victoria, huh?" I said playfully.

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulder, pulling me close to his body as we walked and he laughed.

EMPOV

How in the hell did this happen in four days? I was completely whipped. The legendary 'player' status of Emmett Cullen had been stripped, and I couldn't be happier.

I lay on my side, propped up on my elbow, watching her sleep. Watching her back rise and fall with every breath.

I ran my hand along her bare skin, lightly trailing my fingers down her spine. I brushed her long, blonde hair away from her neck and kissed the creamy, flawless skin at her shoulder.

Rosalie rolled onto her side and tucked her head against my chest. I slid my arm under her head and wrapped my other arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Her perfect body molded to mine. I kissed her forehead and listened to the rhythm of her sleep and waited for the alarm clock to sound.

If there was ever a moment that I wish I could keep this was it…Rosalie Hale, naked in my bed, forever. She was leaving to go back to her life in California in the morning. My stomach knotted up at the thought of her getting on that plane tomorrow. I was helpless to stop it, but I wasn't going to waste one minute of sleep when I could spend the entire night, memorizing everything about her. The curve of her body, the smell of her hair, the shape of her lips, the feel of her skin under my hand.

I figured out how to live a life without her before, but I was a dumb kid then. She might be going back to L.A. tomorrow, but I was going to do everything within my power to make sure we stayed together. She was perfect, I was perfect with her, and I was ready to turn in my asshole bachelor membership card and spend the rest of my life with her.

**End Notes**: **Before you start throwing stuff at your computer screen, or sending me seething comments about rule number 9...do you**_ really_** think Bella is going to stick to her own rule?? Pu-lease!! Review if you likey…or dis-likey. I can't wait to hear what you think.**


	17. Bless the Broken Road

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for your continued support of this project. I really appreciate that so many of you take time to send a review. Thank you!! **

**The song for this chapter has been on my story play list since I started writing Restoration: "Bless the Broken Road," by Rascal Flatts. Even if you already know the song, you should listen to it again. **

**Tigress and Katy – thanks for keeping me in line and helping me keep it all straight. Xoxo!**

**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **

BPOV

Edward hugged me around my shoulders as we walked the short, three blocks back to my apartment.

When I asked about Victoria, he'd laughed. There was a time when I would have been able to decipher his laugh, but now I was completely unsure. Did he laugh because he was hiding something from me, or was it because I was being 'silly Bella' and making something out of nothing?

Although the chemistry between us remained intact, we'd had experiences and had grown into adult lives independent of each other. A decade ago, I understood his every mannerism, every tiny inflection in his voice was decoded and every glance was easily read. The person he was now was a complete, yet beautiful mystery to me, but I was so excited about re-learning every single idiosyncratic tick that was exclusively Edward.

I honestly trusted him when he said Victoria was a work colleague. Jealousy was a useless emotion, and I knew first hand how unattractive and ugly it could be when someone wore it like a well loved piece of clothing. I couldn't let any of that stuff creep into my head.

"How long do you think it'll be before the Hale's move to Seattle?" Edward asked, breaking the silence.

"Rosalie doesn't have a single, impulsive bone in her body, so my guess is Mr. Impatient will get all fired up and decide he's going to move to L.A before she even considers it," I said swinging my handbag. "Jasper, on the other hand, will have a plan and a new job within the week."

"You think so?"

"I do."

"I feel bad for them," he said with a sigh and pulled me closer to his chest. "I can't imagine having to say goodbye to you."

I wrapped both of my arms around his waist and said, "me either."

He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me tight as we kept on walking. We reached my building, and I fished out my keys and let us in.

He followed me through the lobby and into the elevator, settling just behind me, running his hands across my shoulders, while I pressed the button for the eighth floor. As soon as the elevator doors shut, his hands were in my hair, slowly moving it aside, and then began kissing my neck. He placed his right hand on the other side of my neck, and his left hand slipped down to my hip and across my stomach, pulling me back against him.

"What are you doing?" My breath was uneven and my knees began to buckle underneath me.

"Only what I've been thinking of doing all night long," he said as he continued kissing and biting me.

"I'm in so much trouble," I croaked, reaching for his hand that was pressed across my stomach and braided my fingers in his. My head bobbed backwards and my eyes rolled up into my head as I physically felt my body melt against him.

The elevator doors opened and Edward stopped kissing me, dropped his hand from my hair to my hip and gently nudged me forward out of the elevator with a chuckle.

"You're not in trouble…unless you want to be," he said walking behind me, forcing each step with his own, and wrapping his arms securely around me.

"You're so bad," I giggled. I could feel the celebratory whiskey shot warm all over my body. We shuffled down the hall together to my apartment.

Edward nestled his chin in the crook of my neck and growled playfully against my skin.

I broke free from his embrace as soon as we were inside and quickly excused myself. "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back."

I went to my bedroom, kicked off my shoes and then went to the bathroom.

When I went back to the living room, Adele was playing on the stereo and Edward was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rapping his fingers on the lid of 'his' box, grinning up at me.

"Edward," I whined.

"You promised we'd look through it after dinner," he smirked and then wrapped his fingers around the edge of the lid of the old box, threatening to lift it off. "Come on, Bella. Come sit with me."

I hadn't seen what was in that box since I packed it all away when I went away to college. I dug through it the other night to get out his old t-shirt, but I was so singularly focused that I didn't pay any attention to the other stuff piled on top of it. I had no idea what we were going to find when he took off that lid.

I rolled my eyes and stomped slowly across the room. I stood next to him and asked, "You're really going to make me do this, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," he said as he tugged on my hand, pulling me to the floor. "And you're going to like it."

"I honesty don't remember what's in here, so it's either going to be sappy, or its going to serve us both the biggest laugh of our entire lives. Either way, it's going to be painfully embarrassing," I said as I folded my legs under me, and swatted his hands away from the box, lifting off the lid an inch or two, before quickly putting it back. "Before we do this, you have to swear that you won't make fun of anything we find in here."

Edward straightened up, raised his hand and promised with a chuckle, "I swear."

"Don't laugh," I giggled. "Everything in this box is sacred to me."

"Gotcha…no laughing at the sacred stuff," he said seriously, tucking his elbows close to his body and hunching over slightly.

I took away the lid, and we both leaned forward to look inside.

His old t-shirt was on top, as I had just thrown it back in the box after I'd worn it over the weekend. He reached in and pulled it out, holding it up to his shoulders. It looked so small against his chest. "I don't think it fits me anymore."

I reached over, yanked it out of his hands, and folded it up neatly. "No, but it fits me just fine."

He peeked over the edge of the box again, glanced up at me and said, "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it looks better on you than it ever did on me."

I reached in and pulled out a delicate, withered, dried flower with a ribbon and a card attached.

"What the hell is that?"

"I found this in the front seat of my truck on Valentine's Day 1998," I said with great affection at the thought of the sweet memory.

"No way," he said, as he reached for the frail flower, taking it from my hand. He read the card out loud. "For my one and only, Bella. Be mine always. Love, Edward."

I looked at him and watched as total recall spread across his face.

"I can't believe you kept this," he whispered.

"I kept everything," I said quietly as I sifted through the contents of the box. I pulled out a stack of faded, folded notebook paper and spread them in front of me.

He put down the dried flower and picked up one of the neat squares of paper and laughed, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Every note you ever wrote me," I said sheepishly.

"Don't you mean every note that Mr. Banner _didn't _confiscate?"

"You were always so conspicuously bad at passing notes," I giggled, opening one of the notes.

"Me? You were the one who always got caught!"

We poured over every single note for the next half hour, laughing at how silly and trivial it all was. The best ones were the notes that we passed in class, and it preserved our banter about the most ridiculous things.

"What's this?" he asked holding up a book of matches.

"A matchbook," I said with a smirk.

He dropped his chin, looked at me sideways and said, "I know that, but why is it in my box?"

"It's from the restaurant you took me to on our first date."

"This is from Bella Italia, which was our second date. Not our first," he said smugly, twirling the little matchbook in his fingers.

"It was our first date," I protested as I sifted through the box.

"Ahhh, but your memory has failed you, sweet Bella," he teased. "Our first date was one of Emmett's football games. I remember because I caught one of those stupid little footballs that the cheerleaders threw out after halftime for you, and then everyone slept over at Mom and Dad's."

"You mean this?" I asked as I pulled out a garish, gold, mini football with royal blue stripes with the words 'Go Spartans' on it.

"You did save everything," he exclaimed. "Is this normal?"

"I think it's totally normal…for girls anyway. Rachel from 'Friends' did it," I said quickly and defensively.

"Oh well, if Rachel did it," he chuckled.

"You swore, Edward," I whined, crossing my arms and pouting.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he apologized. "I know you think I'm making fun of you, but I love that you saved all this."

"You do?"

He leaned over, and then kissed me. "I do."

Edward reached up and brushed my hair out of my eyes, smiling at me. I smiled back, putting my hands on his face and kissed him again.

When he pulled his lips away from mine, his sparkling, green eyes twinkled and he said, "So what else is in here?"

I giggled, and we turned our attention back to the box.

We found more dried flowers, a corsage from the homecoming dance, school newspapers, more notes that he'd written, a graduation invitation, a class of '98 tassel that had hung from my rearview mirror for ages, one of Edward's old baseball caps, and stacks and stacks of photos.

The photos were really fun to sort through. Some of them pre-dated our relationship and chronicled our friendship. The pictures from middle school had us doubled over with laughter and eventually in tears. The pictures from early high school just made us cringe. The pictures of us when we were dating just made us gush about how happy, young and beautiful we were.

When we came across the pictures of the six of us going to homecoming our junior year, I got up quickly to get the photos that Esme had taken over the weekend.

I plucked out the photo from the night of the reunion and laid it on the floor side by side with the homecoming photo.

"No way!" he picked up both photos and held them up. "This is brilliant!"

"The fantastic six," I said flipping through the rest of Esme's pictures.

He put the before and after photos down and scooted back, so he was leaning against the couch and stretched out his long legs, crossing his feet at the ankles. "Can I see those?"

I handed him the pictures from the weekend, as I finished with them. I held up my favorite one of the bunch. It was a close up of us, with my hand resting on his chest and his cheek tipped over resting on the top of my head. "I love this one of us."

A smile broke out on his face before he had the photo in his hand.

"Definitely frame worthy."

I handed him the rest of the photos and asked, "Do you want something to drink? I've got beer, juice or water."

Without looking up from the photos he said, "Water would be great."

I got up, went to the kitchen and got two bottles of water from the fridge.

When I got back to the living room, I sat down next to him, leaning against the couch. He had found the yearbook and was reading the inscriptions in the front of the book. "Newton is a shit for writing this in your yearbook," he barked

I looked over his shoulder, as he read aloud. "Bella – hope you have a great summer. When you're ready to forget about Cullen, give me a call. I'd never leave you. Stay sweet, Mike."

"Yeah, that wasn't very nice," I said quietly.

"What a dick," he growled through a tightly clenched jaw. "And that asshole was in my home this weekend. AND he was the reason you got hurt playing - "

I interrupted him before he got too keyed up, "Hey, it's okay. Calm down."

I put my arm around his shoulder and patted his arm.

"No, it's not okay. How could he write this…in your yearbook, no less?" Edward was surprisingly incensed.

I sighed and leaned my cheek against his shoulder.

"If I ever see him again…"

"I know, my big, strong man is going to protect my honor and go after a small town twit for writing something shitty in my high school yearbook."

"Don't make light of this, Bella," he seethed and then pointed to the chicken scratch on the inside cover of the book. "This is a ridiculous insult to you and to me."

"You're right, it's an insult, but let's consider a little perspective here. It's an insult that's 10 years old, courtesy of a desperate boy," I tried to reason with him. "It's not worth it."

He nodded his head and muttered something inaudible to himself.

"I never got this book," he said, turning the page.

"No, I guess you didn't," I said quietly, sitting up to sift through the box.

I pulled out an old, worn spiral notebook, put it in my lap and gently ran the palm of my hand across the cover.

My adolescent doodles, his name and hearts covered the front of the book, except for where Alice had taken up valuable notebook real estate by writing 'A.B. + J.H. = LOVE.'

I opened the notebook and started reading a random entry. Unfortunately for me, it just so happened to be an entry after Edward left, and it was nothing more than the love sick ramblings of my seventeen year old self, and I couldn't stop reading.

Edward pulled me from my thoughts, when he snapped the yearbook closed with a soft thud, and put his big, warm hand on my back. "Bella?"

"Yeah?" I tried to answer cheerfully, attempting to mask the fact that the sadness had in fact crept in, as I closed the book, and put it to the side.

"You got quiet," he said smoothly, leaning forward and then kissing my shoulder. He rubbed his hand up and down my arm between my shoulder and my elbow and nestled his chin in the nape of my neck.

"Did I?" I tried my best to sound neutral, but my pitch was entirely too high to have been very convincing.

Finding the journal was bad enough, but then, with Edward peeking over my shoulder, the next handful of items that I pulled from the box made me flinch a little.

Edward lifted his chin from my shoulder and scooted up next to me, crossing his legs underneath him. He took the stack of postcards and letters from my hands, fanning them on the carpet in front of us he said quietly, "These are all from me."

I stared at the cards and faded envelopes, all addressed to me in his perfect penmanship, and nodded. "You wrote a lot when you first moved to London."

"I'll say," he said a little under his breath, as he picked up one of the letters and flipped it over in his hand. He slapped the envelope on his thigh. "You know, handwritten letters are a lost art."

"Yeah, that and I had painfully slow dial up back then, and emails were impossible," I said, rolling my eyes. I picked up one of the letters and opened it, scanning over his words.

"True, and I had a lot of time on my hands. I had a really hard time."

"You did?"

"Of course I did, Bella," he replied, almost exasperated.

"But your letters were all so - "

"Full of guilt and lies," he interrupted.

"No, they're not," I said ripping into one of the letters. I dropped the envelope in my lap, unfolded the cream colored linen paper and started to read out loud, "'I made some new friends and went to my first Man United game today. I've never seen anything like it. I'm having a great time, Bella.' This is all sunshine and fucking rainbows, compared to what my life was like after you left."

By the way he winced and looked up at the ceiling; I guessed that I probably shouldn't have said that last bit.

"And there it is," he muttered to himself.

"There what is?" I fired back at him.

"The honesty I'd always dreaded I'd face one day. That look in your eye is the reckoning that I always knew would come for me," he said with a pained face. "Everything I deserve, not because I left, but because I didn't come back."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I couldn't."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?"

"Bella," he warned shooting me a sideways glance.

"What?"

"You want to know the worst part?" he asked as he folded up the letter in his hand, placed it back in the envelope and tossed it back on the floor with the others.

"There's a worse part?"

"You believed my lie. I heard it in your voice when we spoke and I could see it in your letters back to me," he said tersely.

"What exactly was your big lie, Edward? I evidently didn't see through it then, and I clearly don't see through it now," I challenged him, and turned to face him.

"I thought if I put on a big front about how great things were, and how exciting my new life was, that somehow it would make it easier for you to let go." He let out a big breath, and rested his elbows on his knees, clasped his hands together in front of him and stared at the carpet.

"Edward," I tried to interrupt him because I didn't want to hear his explanation.

"Let me finish, Bella," he sighed and took my hand in both of his. "I was stuck. I was stuck in a great big city without anything familiar. I didn't have any friends, because everyone my age was already 2 years into University, so I had to do an intensive home school program to catch up with the UK curriculum before I could start at University, and Mom and Dad needed me. Especially Mom…she was so sad about being away from everything she knew and was so dependent on me. I couldn't see any way to get back to you, so I thought if I told you I was happy and that I wanted to be there, that you'd move on."

"Wow," I whispered, stunned at his admission. I turned away from him to look out the window, trying to stifle the emotion that I felt bubbling to the surface.

"I thought it would make it easier for you, to you know, to let go if you thought I had," he continued. "It killed me to tell you these lies."

"I missed you so much that I couldn't breathe, I couldn't sleep. Charlie all but force fed me for months, and then I would get these letters and get mad at you, thinking that it was so easy for you."

"Nothing was easy, Bella. But I knew how miserable I was, and I thought if you were in half as much pain, I had to do whatever I could to try to make it better. I had to let you go," he said, reaching for my hand.

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. With my free hand I reached blindly with my fingers to my chest, searching for the necklace I lost sometime during the trip to Forks. Frustrated that my security blanket was still missing, I reached for a lock of my hair and began twisting it nervously.

"Bella, look at me," he pleaded softly, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb.

I turned to look at him.

"I thought…I…," he stuttered, and his frustrated eyes searched mine.

"You thought you were doing the right thing. Edward always does the right thing," I said in a very controlled tone still trying to exercise some emotional damage control. His beautiful face went out of focus as the tears flooded my eyes and began to spill over.

"I thought…shit. I was a coward and I made a decision for you, and for us, without considering how it would hurt," he shook his head and looked down at our hands. "I'm so sorry."

I slipped my hand out of his, pushed away all the dreaded letters and crawled on my knees in front of him. I wiped away my tears and put my hands on his face, forcing him to look at me. His raw expression broke my heart.

Every emotion that I'd held on to for all these years melted away when I looked into his eyes. The anger, the frustration, the feelings of being unworthy, unloved and abandoned, instantly lost all their power and I was left with only the promise of hope and love.

"No apologies," I said, bending down to gently kiss him. I looked around the room to survey the mess that we'd made. "All of this stuff is our history, and it's messy just like everyone else's. Up until this weekend it was the only part of you I had left, and I hung on to it. I put it in a box and I put it away. I don't need any of this anymore. I only need you."

Edward lunged forward, throwing his arms around my waist, and hugging me tightly, resting his cheek against my chest.

I ran my fingers gently through his hair and then laced my fingers together behind his neck, hugging him back.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry," he repeated over and over again until I shushed him.

"Edward, stop," I said as bent down, kissed the top of his head, hugging him tightly.

He unfolded his legs and rose up on his knees in front of me, cradling my face in his hands. He whispered, "I never meant to hurt you."

My hands slipped from around his next to his chest. I leaned into his body, let my neck fall back so that I was looking up at his perfectly sincere face and whispered, "I know."

His lips crushed mine with such intensity that we very nearly toppled over. I forgot how to breathe as the heat from his kiss washed over me. He carefully traced his hands down my back and wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me tightly so that our bodies were pressed hard against each other.

I slipped my hands over his shoulders, wrapping my arms tight around his neck, as our lips moved together in a perfectly synchronized, passionate dance. The taste of him on my tongue and on my lips was sweet and beyond intoxicating. He pulled away from my lips and pressed his forehead to mine.

His eyes were glassy with want and his lips pink and swollen from kissing me. His breathing was heavy, and I felt every rise of his chest against mine. He brushed his lips softly against mine and then tilted his head the opposite direction, kissing me again, taking my top lip between his, before he changed direction again and this time took only my bottom lip gently.

I smiled against his kiss and murmured against his lips, "Do you want to stay?"

He ran his nose the length of my cheek, brushing his full lips along my jaw and then back again twice before he asked, "Do you want me to?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to," I said as I began combing my fingers through his hair from his temple and over his ears.

"Yes, I want to stay." Edward's hands slipped lower down my back, resting on my backside. He kissed me at the hollow under my ear and pulled me tight against him as he mumbled against my neck, "I want to stay forever."

"Please," I croaked out quietly. My eyes rolled closed, and my head lolled back, offering his lips better access. The thrill of what he was saying to me, and what his lips were doing to me sent a shiver down my spine.

"Please what, Bella?" he said hoarsely as his hands gripped me gently. He kissed a trail of fiery kisses down my neck, and he bit and sucked on the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck.

"Stay forever," I said lifting my head upright and nuzzling my cheek against his head.

Edward slid his hands over my butt and lifted me off my knees, wrapping my legs around his waist. I buried my head in his neck, covering my face with the hand that was draped over his shoulders, as he easily moved from his knees to his feet and carried me to my bedroom.

When we reached the threshold of the room, he flipped on the light and put me gently back on my feet in front of him.

His hands knotted in my hair behind my neck and he kissed me, deeply. His gentle tongue swept across mine and devoured me.

I gingerly stepped backwards pulling him by the bits of his shirt that was snarled up in my fists. He easily moved with me across the room to my bed, kissing me all the while.

I didn't stop shuffling backwards until my calves met with the hard line of the bed frame. My fists pulled at the fabric of his shirt, untucking the shirt tail from his jeans. I broke from his kiss and brought my fingers to the buttons at his wrists, unbuttoning his cuffs first. Then I moved my hands to the buttons at his chest, slowly slipping each one through the button hole.

Edward looked down at me with heavy eyes, smiling at me while his hands slowly ran up and down my back.

My heart raced faster and faster as I clumsily unbuttoned his shirt. With all the buttons undone, his plaid shirt laid open before me, only giving me a peek of what was underneath.

I slipped my hands underneath the fabric, and spread my hands out on his hips, bending to kiss his tight stomach just above his belly button. I heard his breath catch and watched as his abs twitched under my touch. I kissed him again at his sternum, nuzzling my nose in his chest hair, before I began to move my hands up over his ribs and over his chest. I placed another soft kiss in the center of his chest, and then I looked up at him through my eyelashes, grinning at him. His eyes were dark green and swimming with desire, and completely fixed on me.

I moved my hands across his beautiful chest, and over his strong shoulders, pushing the shirt away as I moved. He put his hands on both sides of my neck and pulled me to his lips, kissing me passionately.

Edward pressed his body against mine, nudging me back towards the bed. One arm wound around my waist and the other pressed palm first into the mattress as I let him lay me back on the bed.

I raked my hands across his back and shoulders as he kissed me relentlessly.

He lay beside me, propped up on his elbow, with his heavy leg, bent and thrown over my thigh, pressing his hips and his chest against me while his other hand gently gripped my hip.

I kept one arm draped around his shoulders and traced my other hand down his shoulder and along the length of his arm to his wrist. I tugged his hand away from my hip and slowly guided him.

He pressed his forehead against mine and gently released his lips from the kiss. With short and shallow breath he pulled his face away from mine and searched my eyes as I continued guiding his hand up along my side and then across my ribs.

My ears were clear of all white noise, and I was keenly aware of his breathing, the sound of our movement against the duvet cover, and my own heart beat. The way his heavy hand felt on my body, and the sound of it as it moved along the cotton of my shirt was almost too much to bear. I was more attuned to this singular experience than I had been with any other intimate situation I'd been in, in the last 6 years.

When his thumb reached the curve of my breast, he quit letting me be in charge and he stopped me. His fingers slowly and carefully curled around me so that he was barely cupping my breast in his big hand. He leaned over me and kissed me with his full lips quickly, and then he carefully turned his hand, taking my whole breast in his hand.

With my hand still on his, I closed my eyes and arched against his touch. It should have been familiar, but it wasn't. He'd held me in hands like this when we were in high school, but this was so much greater. It was embarrassing, crazy exciting, and even silly when we were kids. This was…sexy. I realized then with my hand on Edward's as he kneaded me, carefully and reverently that I felt sexy for the first time in my adult life.

I moved my hand away from his and pressed it against his shoulder, pushing him over on his back. I rolled with him straddling his hips and sitting up with my hands pressed against his chest, and his hands on my hips. I brushed my hair over my shoulders and crossed my arms in front of me, grasping the hem of my shirt and then quickly pulled it off over my head. I shook my hair out behind me and looked down at Edward.

To his credit, it took a few seconds before he let his eyes drift from my face to my boobs, and then a greedy, wicked grin spread across his face. He slowly moved his hands across my stomach and cupped me lightly in both of his hands. He moved his hands to my back and sat up underneath me, placing a kiss on the little bow at the center of my bra and then moved his nose back and forth against my cleavage.

A moan escaped my lips, and I arched my back as he lovingly brushed his lips across each breast. I threaded my fingers in his hair and held him tight against me. His hands were magic on me and I writhed in pleasure in his lap, knowing full well I was tempting him beyond reason with every circle of my hips.

His hands were suddenly strong and gripping low on my hips. His ear was pressed against my chest and his breathing was erratic and he growled, "You have to stop."

"But -"

"If you expect me to adhere to number nine, you're going to have to help me out here," he said roughly, still digging his fingers into my hips.

I relaxed my hands from his hair, and went completely limp in his lap, allowing him to roll me off his lap.

"Be right back," he said quickly and scooted off the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom.

I slid off the bed, picking up our discarded clothes, throwing mine in the laundry basket and folding his neatly on the chair in the corner. I quickly got undressed and put on my pajamas and then turned down the bed.

I was leaning over the alarm clock when Edward came back into the room, and whistled at the site of my bent over backside.

I turned around to find him stripped down to his boxers, with his shoes dangling from his fingers and his jeans draped over his forearm.

"Do you have a toothbrush I can use?" he asked, putting his clothes down on the chair.

"Uhm…sure."

Edward followed me to the bathroom, and we brushed our teeth together, making silly faces at each other in the mirror. I shooed him out so I could tend to my only ritualistic habits. I washed my face, brushed my hair, and put on lotion.

When I walked back to the bedroom, Edward was standing across the room looking at some photos I had framed and put on a little shelf.

He turned to look at me as I approached the bed and said, "I didn't know what side you wanted."

"Edward, we shared your bed all weekend. What makes you think that my preference has changed just because we're sleeping in my bed?"

"I'm just making sure," he said as he shuffled over to the left side of my bed and crawled in.

I flipped the light switch and walked to the right side of the bed and sat on the edge. I checked the alarm clock again and took off my watch and rings, putting them on the bedside table. I reached under the lampshade and turned off the little lamp, and then tucked myself under the covers.

Edward reached for me with both hands and pulled me into his embrace. His chest was against my back, his legs fit every bend of my own, one arm was under my neck and his other arm was draped across my stomach.

"Great date," he chuckled.

"Yeah, it was. We should totally do it again," I giggled.

"Can I call you?"

"If you want."

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'll let you know."

**End Notes: ****See...not everything is going to be so easy for them. This was my nod to NM - hope you liked it. Thanks for reading!! **


	18. It's Only Life

**A/N: I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday with friends and family and that you are all reveling in the bliss and delight of seeing Edward Cullen undead, breathing and beautiful on the big screen. As always your continued support of the story and your thoughtful comments are a great source of inspiration and appreciation. Thank you. **

**The musical companion for this chapter is a sweet song by Kate Voegele, called **_**"It's Only Life."**_** I have posted a link on my profile page for anyone interested in taking a listen. **

**Tigress and Katydid…a thousand thanks for keeping me on track and properly edited. **

**I own nothing, but the thoughts and the obsession that drive me to write. **

APOV

Emmett and I drove back to Seattle from SeaTac Airport in virtual silence. His iPod sat untouched on the center console, and the volume on the stereo was set at a tolerable level, but the fact that the annoying morning drive time radio didn't set him off had me a little worried.

"Em, are you okay?"

He sighed and gripped the steering wheel tighter, and said quietly, "for the tenth time, I'm fine."

He was so not fine. He was such a weepy mess when we finally left the airport that I thought I might actually have to drive this beast of a jeep back home. Emmett had taken Rosalie and Jasper's departure so much harder than me, and much harder than I had ever expected.

"This isn't permanent, Emmett. They're not gone forever," I said hoping that he would snap out of it.

"Maybe not, but right this second, she's gone and so is Jasper," he barked back, adjusting his baseball cap. "Why doesn't this bother you?"

I pulled my Blackberry out of my purse and started typing a text before I answered him. "Because I know Jasper is mine, and it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things that we're a little geographically challenged right now. I know we were meant to be."

"You are such a little freak," he spat. He squirmed around in the driver's seat and looked at me like I had two horns growing out of my head. "You're not even upset! How do you know this is temporary? How do you know that you're going to end up together?"

I finished typing the text to Bella and then turned in my seat to face him. "I just know."

"What, you're _psychic_ now?" he sneered.

"Don't you snap at me, Emmett Cullen!" I bit back at him. "And no, I am _not_ psychic, but I do know all the way down to the bottom of my soul that Jasper and I are meant to be together."

"You _know_ this?" he griped as he exited the freeway.

"I do," I answered smugly. "Besides, the Universe wouldn't be so cruel to take him away from me twice."

"Do you think the Universe would do that to me, Al?" Emmett asked quietly. "Take her away from me again?"

Emmett was dangerously close to losing it; I needed to nip all this emotion in the bud before he literally fell apart and took me with him. I needed Bella. Emmett needed Bella. Now.

I reached over and patted his thigh and tried to reassure him, "I don't think so, babe. You and Rose were made for each other."

A tiny smile twitched on his lips.

"See, I'm not the heartless bitch you think I am."

"I never called you a heartless bitch."

"You didn't have to," I sniffed. "I know you, and you think I'm completely unaffected, callous even, and oblivious to the fact that the love of my life just got on a plane. Well, I'll have you know, of course I'm upset, and of course I'll miss him, but I can't focus on that."

"So what _do_ you focus on?"

"Seeing him again is all that matters," I said confidently.

My phone chimed in my lap.

_I'm at the coffee shop if you guys want to meet me - B_

"Do you need a little Bella to make this better?" I asked him as I started to text her back. "She's at the coffee shop if you want to go meet her."

He nodded silently and turned left towards our neighborhood.

_We'll be there in 10 minutes – A_

"Coffee shop it is," I said, dropping my phone into my bag. I turned in my seat and put my sunglasses back down on my nose. "I can only stay for a little while though, because I have to meet Edward to go house shopping, but you and Bella can sit down there all day and commiserate, or whatever it is you two do when I'm not around."

"Mostly we talk about you when you're not around," he said as he glanced over his shoulder at me with a half hearted smile on his face.

I looked at him over the top of my sunglasses. "Just because you're little pee pee is down in the dirt right now, doesn't mean that I'm going to suddenly take your crap, mister."

He managed a low laugh, and said," Thanks, Al."

I smiled and said, "What_ever_...just drive," in mock aggravation, crossing my arms across my chest and folding my legs under me. Emmett always got a kick out of my attitudes, so I figured it would help improve his mood.

He maneuvered through morning traffic like a mad man, making it to the coffee shop in record time.

Emmett parked the Jeep, and while he was walking around to open my door for me, I quickly flipped down the visor and checked myself in the mirror. He opened the door for me, and we made our way down the sidewalk to the coffee shop.

I walked briskly ahead of Emmett, scrolling through my emails, trying to ignore the dramatic sighs and heavy steps behind me.

"Is that Bella?" Emmett asked.

"Where?" I looked up from my Blackberry and turned my head aimlessly around us and up ahead. Sure enough, there she was, standing in front of the coffee shop kissing Edward. I tucked my phone into my jacket pocket, pushed my glasses up on my nose and grinned. "Why, yes. Yes, it is."

Emmett perked up and caught up with me as we closed in on our oblivious friends.

"Last night's clothes, Edward?" I blurted out, startling them when we were still a few steps away from them. "So tacky."

"Bel-la!" Emmett's voice was thick with a mix of shock and congratulations as he poked her in the ribs.

Edward opened his mouth, likely to defend her honor, but quickly snapped it shut and smiled, while Bella just dropped her head on his shoulder in embarrassment.

"Tramp," I snickered.

"Alice!" Edward growled hugging his arms around Bella's waist protectively.

"I wasn't calling _Bella_ a tramp," I said winking at him.

Bella turned her cheek and peeked over at me giggling and asked, "How did you get here so fast?"

Emmett held his hand up and replied, "I was driving."

"You weren't planning a super speedy get away, were you?" I teased Edward.

"Absolutely not," he protested in a voice too high and tight to be convincing. "I was however trying to get downtown and cleaned up before I was supposed to meet you at nine. I know how you hate it when people are late."

Emmett made some kind of caveman grunt, shoved his hands in his pockets and turned a slow circle, dropping his head back to look at the sky.

Bella watched Emmett carefully while she slowly extracted herself from Edward's embrace.

"So you weren't trying to hide the fact that you clearly spent the night with our fair Bella from us?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest and raising one sharp eyebrow at him.

Bella rolled her eyes at me, clearly agitated by my line of questioning. "Unbelievable."

Edward rubbed her back and squeezed his hand over her shoulder. A slight smiled played on his lips, assuring me that he understood my game, but warned me with his eyes at the same time, that it was time to back off. "I'm not hiding anything…just trying to be considerate."

The four of us stood in a circle on the sidewalk discussing and planning our day. Emmett and Bella decided to stay at the coffee shop, until it was time for her to go to work, and I was going to go downtown with Edward, so he could freshen up, and then we were off to meet his realtor to look at condos and office space.

Edward and Bella tried to figure out their schedules before I whisked him away.

"I do my volunteer work on Tuesdays, so I won't be free until after 9:00," she said almost apologetically.

"Tonight is no good for me either. I haven't taken my laptop out of my bag since I got home, so today I really need to get some work done," he explained as he raked his hand through his messy bed head. "I don't even want to know what's waiting in my email in box."

"I've got a big work event on Wednesday that will have me tied up until late. Maybe Thursday?" Bella offered. I could see the hope on her face.

Edward winced and sucked a breath through his teeth, "Maybe. I'm sorry, Bella, this week is going to be crazy."

"It's okay," she said, putting on her brave face, but I knew better.

"It'll all work out," he reassured her.

Bella stepped closer to Edward, put her hands on his chest and said, "I guess I'll see you in a couple of days then."

Edward wrapped her up into a big hug and bent down to kiss her.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched them say their goodbyes, patting myself on the back for being the genius that I am. I was pleased and couldn't help but feel almost vindicated that my little plan had worked. Bella and Edward were back to being Bella and Edward. Jasper and I were on track for our happily ever after and judging by the look on Emmett's face, he was a pitiful, lovesick puppy for Rosalie. I expected a few more pieces of the puzzle to fall into place, but I wasn't worried. It was all just a matter of time now.

I physically shook myself out of my own satisfaction with a little shimmy.

Bella and Edward were still making goo goo eyes at each other. Emmett stood on the curb, balancing his weight back and forth like a teeter totter. His hands were still shoved deep into his pockets and his chin was tucked tight against his chest. Poor guy.

"Okay! So you'll figure it out later," I said as I began tugging at Edward's un-tucked shirt tail, trying to pull him away from Bella and towards his sparkly, new car that was parked down the street. "We gotta go."

Edward staggered slightly, resisting my pull. His hands moved from Bella's waist, and he clutched her hands in his, kissing her quickly before he finally gave in and let me drag him backwards down the sidewalk.

"I'll call you," he promised.

"I'll call you, too, Bella," I called out to her as we walked away. "Love you both!"

"Have a good day!" Bella said, waving after us.

Edward waved back and then turned to walk under his own steam. He brushed my hand away from his shirt and said, "You can let go now. I'm going willingly."

I pulled my bag up on my shoulder and then snaked my hand around his arm just above his elbow. "So…you and Bella -"

"Not a chance in hell, Alice," he interrupted me.

"But - "

Edward curled his arm up, and he patted my hand with his as he chuckled, "I don't kiss and tell."

"Damn," I muttered, reluctantly accepting my defeat.

"No sense in pouting about it either," he said playfully, fishing in his pocket for his keys with his free hand. He pushed a button on the remote and the car chirped to life. "It'll make for a really long day, and quite honestly, I couldn't stand looking at that puss for the next several hours."

"Fine," I conceded with a dramatic sigh.

Edward opened the passenger door for me and then walked around to the driver's side. I put on my seatbelt and then pulled out my Blackberry to check emails and review our schedule. He had barely settled in behind the wheel when I started rattling off the day's agenda.

He slumped over the steering wheel, dropped his head and said, "Remind me again why I asked you to do this with me?"

"Because I have impeccable taste and I know the city much better than you," I said smugly without looking up at him. "I don't have to go. I would be more than happy to just go on with my day and leave you to the droll mercy of your real estate agent…alone. I would caution you, however, about any 'up and coming' neighborhood they might try sell you on. That generally means, they've only swept out MOST of the crack head squatters and they're redeveloping the area around a few crumbling historical buildings. "

"Right," he said defeated, as he started the engine.

"Come on, Edward. You know this is what I do best," I said punching a series of numbers on my phone and put the receiver to my ear.

"What? Spend other people's money?"

"Exactly…except I can't really market myself that way, can I?" I quipped while listening to my retrieved voice mail messages. "I'm what you would call a combination concierge service, personal shopper, party planner, and all around girl Friday."

"Is there anything you don't do?"

"I don't babysit. Ever."

"So, you're an expensive problem solver," he said with a chuckle.

"Exactly! And since you are one of my nearest and dearest, not to mention you're evidently sleeping with my best friend, you're getting my special friends and family discount for my services today." I pressed a series of buttons and then put my phone in my lap and looked up at him with a toothy grin.

"You're charging me for this?" he complained. Loudly.

"Or course not, Edward!" I said as if I was offended. I raised my sunglasses to sit on top of my head, staring at him with big, innocent, doe eyes. "But if you actually find a house and sign a corporate lease agreement today, then you should buy me something really pretty. Deal?"

"Deal," he said holding out his hand across the console.

I shook his and then rubbed my hands together and said, "Okay then, let's go spend some money."

BPOV

I watched Alice drag Edward down the sidewalk to his car, and then turned my attention to Emmett. His baseball hat was pulled down tight over his eyes, his hands were tucked into his pockets, and he stared off down the street in the opposite direction in which Edward and Alice trotted off.

I walked up to his side, and put my arm around his waist.

He turned to look at me with sad, little eyes.

I puffed out my bottom lip, looked up at him sympathetically, nudged my head towards the coffee shop, and said, "C'mon. Let me buy you a coffee and we'll see if we can fix this."

He tucked his head, wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and shuffled along beside me into the coffee shop.

Emmett found a table in the corner while I went to the bar and ordered our drinks. I glanced over at him while I waited, and I was so taken by his defeated body language that it nearly brought tears to my eyes. I'd only really seen Emmett sad, truly sad, a few times in our long history together. The most significant instances involved sports or a stupid bet, and never, ever had anything to do with a girl.

I was the least logical person to give him any guidance or advice on relationships, but it was my turn to listen and to try to help. It was my turn to make it better.

I picked up our drinks and made my way over to the table to Emmett. I sat down beside him, took a sip of my latte and turned all of my focus to him. "How you doin,' Em?"

Emmett's elbows rested on the table in front of him with his hands wrapped around small coffee cup. He turned his head and looked up at me from underneath the bill of his baseball cap with his sad, puppy dog, baby blues and all but choked on his words, "Not so good. You?"

Of course he would deflect his own pain and ask me how I was doing. I sighed and pouted in complete empathy for his situation and said, "It's sweet of you to ask, babe, but today it's not about me."

"I can't believe this happened," he whispered as one solitary, sloppy tear slid down his cheek. He ran a burly fist across his eye and sniffed stiffly, turning his eyes away from me. "God dammit."

I scooted closer to his side and patted his arm, trying desperately to keep from crying for him. "I'm sorry, Emmett."

I'd been where he was, and I couldn't find a single word of comfort for him, so I just sat beside my friend and rubbed his back until he found his voice again.

"It feels like something is missing. Like I lost something, and my body doesn't really know what it is, except my heart and my head knows exactly what I lost," he said picking at the paper seam on his coffee cup. "I just feel empty."

"Empty hurts."

"Yeah, it does," he said before he took a sip of his coffee.

"You just have to remind yourself that this isn't over," I tried to encourage him. "It's new and complicated, but it's not over."

"I don't know, Bella," he whispered, sounding so resigned.

"You can't be serious?" I asked incredulously.

"What?" he said as he looked up at me.

"I have never known you to back down from a challenge in your entire life, and you're honestly telling me, you don't know how this is going to turn out?" I leaned forward with my elbows resting on the table and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"You're talking about games I always knew I could win," he countered, leaning his elbow on the table and resting his face in his hand.

"Give me a break! You forget that I was a witness this entire weekend, and I saw the two of you together," I said with a smirk on my face. "She completely adores you."

"You think so?" he asked sheepishly.

"I'm not stupid or blind, Emmett. There was actual electricity between you."

A slight smile began to tug at the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, that and I have never seen you be so attentive, respectful or affectionate with anyone like you were with Rosalie. You're just going to have to work a little for it," I said with a wink.

"This completely sucks, Bella," he groaned. "I almost bought a one way ticket to fuck knows where just so I could walk through airport security and have one more hour with her. How dumb is that?"

"Ah…the grand gesture," I said with a slight smile. "It would have been ridiculously expensive, but it's not dumb."

Emmett let out a heavy breath and took a sip of his coffee. He shifted on his seat and then looked at me, and said, "How the fuck did this happen?"

"How did what happen?"

"This!" he gestured wildly with his hands in the air in front of him. "We were supposed to go to Forks and force you and Edward to deal with your shit, and I got completely blindsided. It was always supposed to be about you, and then Rosalie Hale walked through the door and kicked the ever loving shit out of me and…I'm…fuck!...and now she's gone and I just want her back." He put his head down on the table and slapped his hand next to it.

"Oh, Emmett." I ran my hand across his shoulders trying to soothe him.

Emmett looked up and me, but then dropped his chin again and pulled the fabric of his t-shirt up to his nose and took in a big breath. "I can still smell her perfume on my clothes, Bella. I don't know how to do this."

"You'll figure it out, babe," I said as I ducked my head slightly to look into his eyes. "You love her don't you?"

"Yep," he said emphasizing the 'p' sound at the end. "I guess that makes me a schmuck because I just let her go."

"No, Em, it doesn't." I argued. "You'd only be a schmuck if you didn't do everything you could to keep her and to find a way to make this work."

"But she lives in L.A. and my life is here," he said hopelessly.

"That's geography Emmett, it's not a deal breaker."

"We live 961 miles away from each other. No, fuck that. Let's just round number that up and say that there are one _thousand_ miles between us, and you don't think that's a deal breaker? " Emmett's sadness began to boil over into frustration.

"People have successful, loving, long distance relationships all the time," I countered stubbornly.

"Yeah, but I have a hard enough time making things work with girls that are available and living within a 5 mile radius. How am I going to make this work?"

"You'll figure it out," I encouraged.

"What if I don't? What if I can't figure out how to make it work? What if I suck at this long distance…"

"Dammit, Emmett! You'll just do it and you'll make it work because it's Rosalie," I interrupted his little rant with an aggressive tone. My whole body was vibrating from the inside out, frustrated that he was so unsure of himself and turned completely inside out. "You don't get to quit."

Emmett looked back at me, stunned and shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Okaaayy…you're a little scary right now."

I took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"I don't care how complicated or hard or impossible it might seem right now, you better dig down deep and make an effort. I'm not going sit back and watch you make the same mistake Edward and I made." My fists were clenched tight as I continued my little tirade, "distance isn't a good enough reason to give up on something real."

"I'm not giving up, Bella," he straightened up and seemed to shake off a little of his self doubt. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I'm pretty sure my immediate future includes a few trips to L.A., and ridiculous overage charges on my cell phone bill until we figure it out."

"Good," I said with an approving nod.

He took a sip of his coffee and huffed beside me. "I still can't believe this. Two weeks ago I was the king of Seattle. Every girl wanted me and every guy wanted to _be_ me, and now look at me, sitting here whining about my high school girlfriend."

"Babe, you were _never_ the king of Seattle. King of the dipshits maybe, but what did that ever get you besides frequently laid?" I asked leaning back against the banquette seat and looking at him with one raised eyebrow.

Emmett looked at me, rolling his eyes slowly as a low laugh rumbled from his chest. "You've got a point."

"I know," I said taking a drink of my coffee.

"Speaking of getting laid," he teased, changing the focus of our conversation, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"God, you're a pig," I said flatly and turned to my attention to my bag to find my cell phone.

He nudged my side with his elbow and said, "C'mon, Bella…you can tell me. Is the drought over? Was it any good?"

"Rule number 9 is in the hiz-ouse." I sang out Emmett style, before turning my focus to my cell phone.

"So you're sleeping with him, but not really _sleeping_ with him," he said with actual bewilderment in this voice.

I shook my head in amusement and replied, "Technically, I'm doing nothing _but_ sleeping with him, so you'll have to rethink your definition."

"Seriously, Bella, you gotta loosen up," he said with a weak chuckle. "Rosalie and I barely made it to Saturday after having been apart for ten years. I don't know how Edward is keeping it together."

"He's got -"

"He's got blue balls is what he's got," Emmett interrupted with a howl of laughter.

"Shut up!" I ground out between my teeth. I felt the blush blaze across my cheeks, neck and chest, as I looked frantically around the coffee shop to see if anyone had heard him.

Emmett could embarrass me faster than any other human being on the planet, and the fact that he had actually referenced Edward and used the phrase 'blue balls' in a public place was quite possibly the most embarrassing thing he'd ever done.

"I'm just sayin'…"

"My sex life and my boyfriend's balls are none of your concern," I said as I reached my fingers just above the back of his elbow and pinched him as I laid out my boundary. "Just because everyone else lets you get away with being a crass, ill behaved boy trapped in an almost 30 year old body doesn't mean I am."

"Ow, ow, ow! I'm just jok-..ow…joking," he stammered and laughed as he jumped around in his seat, trying desperately to yank his arm out of my grip. He inspected the red, tender skin behind his arm and rubbed it vigorously. "I hate it when you do that."

"Good, then we're even." I flipped open my phone and saw there was a text waiting for me. "Now say you're sorry."

"Sorry I was talking smack about Edward's balls," he said with a smile and threw his arms up defensively.

With laughter bubbling up, I took a swipe at him with my hand and groaned, "Asshole."

"Yeah, but I'm you're favorite asshole," he said leaning over and bumping my arm with his shoulder.

"Pfft," I huffed as I read my text.

_Have a good day, beautiful. I'll call you later. – E_

My lips involuntarily turned up into a wistful smile, as I texted back.

_You too! Don't let Alice drive you nuts. – B_

Emmett turned to face me, folding one leg underneath him, and he draped one arm over the back of the seat. "Things seem pretty good between you guys."

"It is good," I breathed. "It's new and exciting and scary, and I don't have any idea what I'm doing."

"Who cares if you know what you're doing…I'm just glad to see you take a chance," he replied patting me on the back.

"I think having Edward around is stirring up a lot of old stuff for me."

He scrunched up his brow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I've been having weird dreams lately," I said quietly and hesitantly. "Well, not exactly weird dreams, more like scary dreams…about James."

"Edward isn't James, Bella," Emmett said in a low, serious tone.

"I know that, Em, and I trust him, I really do. I just don't know how to trust myself." I nervously picked at my cuticles as I made the admission.

I knew that Edward would never hurt me, but I was constantly staving off the fear that something ugly was lurking around the corner.

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No. God, no," I said in a hushed panic.

"You should," he advised as he reached over and patted my knee.

"Maybe." I took the last sip of my coffee and said, "I just really hate that I'm finally really happy, and he's creeping back in, even if it's only in my dreams."

"Talk to Edward, Bella."

"I don't know if I can."

"You deserve this, Bella."

"So do you, Em."

"Okay, then, so I won't give up on Rosalie, and you won't wig out and let the ghost of bad relationships past ruin what you've got going with Edward."

He held up his fist with his pinky finger sticking out in front of my face. "Pinky swear?"

I shook my head, rolled my eyes and held up my hand and curled my tiny pinky around his and said, "I swear."

"Thanks, Bella."

"For what?"

"For being the only person who could make it better."

"You're welcome," I said as threw both of my arms around his neck and squeezed him tight.

Emmett hugged me back. Resting his chin on my shoulder, he said, "I love you, Hells Bells."

"I love you too, Em."

We were both safe, even if it was only for a moment. His fear and dread was momentarily quiet and mine was promised into submission by a pinky swear.

I checked my watch over his shoulder and announced, "I gotta get to work. What are you doing with the rest of your day?"

"I'm gonna mope."

"Em…"

"Cry. Moan. Wallow," he continued.

"You'll be fine." I gathered up my bag and my purse and stood up beside the table.

"I can't believe you're leaving me in my time of need," he whined with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his lips. He got up from the table and adjusted his ball cap.

"I'm not leaving you, I'm going to work," I rebutted with a laugh. "Seriously, what are you going to do?"

"I start school next week, so I have to start putting together lesson plans and get ready for a new football season," he said following me through the coffee shop and out the front door.

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about me, Bella. I've got lots to do." He wrapped me up in a big Emmett hug and reassured me, "You have no idea how much planning is required to get seventh graders ready for football."

"Call me if you need me."

Emmett kissed me on the cheek and stepped backwards away from me, down the block.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry," he said as he turned and started walking down the sidewalk.

I loved Emmett for being vulnerable with me, and I loved him for being strong for me. I really hoped he could keep it together and find a way to get Rosalie here, because if he moved to L.A. to be with her, it's quite possible I could die. Or at the very least lose my mind.

I smiled as I watched him walk away, and then turned on my heels to walk back to my apartment building to get my car.

I played the conversation Emmett and I had over in my head as I walked. Nudging Em towards his bliss was easy, but I felt like such a hypocrite. I was a scared little girl, waiting for everything, good or bad to fall into my lap. All too willing to accept whatever came my way, when what I should be doing was participating in rebuilding this relationship. It shouldn't all be on Edward's shoulders.

I decided to do something brave. Before I pulled out of the parking garage, I quickly thumbed through my day planner and took a good look at my schedule and then sent Edward a text.

_If you're free on Friday, I'll cook dinner. – B_

Almost as soon as I sent it, I wished like hell I could take it back. He had been pretty clear that it was going to be an impossible week, but I'd let my impatience and ill conceived empowerment get the better of me.

A few miles down the road, my phone chirped beside me.

_Are you asking me on a date? – E_

Of course he wasn't going to make this easy for me. At the next stoplight, I quickly texted him back.

_Are you saying yes? – B_

Almost a full hour later, I was at work and sifting through a mountain of emails, hopelessly wishing I had stuck to my nature and left the asking to him, when he finally texted me back.

_It's a date. Two down, four to go. xoxo - E_

**End Notes: I know the anticipation of all things Edward and Bella is making you all nuts. Just remember half the fun is in getting there. There was a nod to one of my favorite fanfics buried in there…any guesses? All comments are appreciated! **


	19. Pretty Please

**A/N: Yeah, so another 4 weeks in between updates. I think people start to worry that because it takes me so long to post and update, that I've given up. I can promise this…I might be slow, but I'm no quitter and I will see this through to the end and then an epilogue. Thanks for sticking with me.**

**_Pretty Please (Love Me)_ by Estelle, is the song for this chapter. It's the perfect plea for a hopeful Edward to be making to a cautious Bella after being away from her for a few days.**

**Special thanks to Tigress and to Katydid for keeping me in line and the story on track. And thanks also to all the girls over at Twilighted(dot)net who are a constant source of laughter and motivation. xoxo!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the dribble I post here.**

EPOV

Three days, 10 hours and 13 minutes.

I glanced at the clock on the dashboard every couple of minutes to recalculate, but I knew down to the minute, exactly how long it had been since I'd seen her. It was raining, and I was tired, but nothing could damper my anticipation and excitement about our date.

As expected, it had been a busy, lousy, miserable week without even a spare half hour for a quick lunch date or early morning coffee with Bella. However patient and accommodating she may have seemed about our predicament, I know she shared my frustration regarding our conflicting schedules. Talking on the phone at the end of an exhausting day, and constant, flirty text messaging wasn't enough, and I was all but jumping out of my skin as I made my way across town to see her.

Thanks, in no small part to Alice, by 5:00 this afternoon, my offer on the new house had been accepted, and I'd signed a lease agreement for the office space. Between looking for a house, opening a new office, trying to carve out sparse minutes for Bella and actually working, I was completely drained.

I made a decision this morning that I had hoped would make both my work and personal life a little more bearable. I officially hired Alice on a contract basis and introduced her to Victoria, setting them free to furnish, decorate, buy office supplies and equipment, and do whatever else they had to do to make sure we could open our doors next week.

Damn, I was going to have to remember to buy her a present.

Because of the rain, finding parking anywhere near Bella's building was next to impossible. After a couple of laps around the block, I finally found a spot, tucked the small bunch of flowers I'd brought for her under my arm and all but sprinted 2 blocks to her door.

I was standing in the entry way, shaking off the wet and trying to enter the proper code into the call box when one of Bella's neighbors pushed open the door and allowed me to slip in behind them.

I was drenched from the rain, but I didn't care. I smiled during the short elevator ride to the eighth floor, knowing that the kindness of that neighbor holding the door for me was going to allow me to surprise her when I knocked on her door.

I could hear her muffled voice on the other side of the door, before she tentatively opened the door wearing an apron, with her phone to her ear, only peeking through a narrow four inch space. I smiled.

Bella's eyes grew wide with surprise, she gasped, and shut the door quickly before I heard her say, "I gotta go, Mom. Loveyoubye."

I dropped my head and ran my hand through my hair, trying to shake out more of the rain and laughed as I heard her talking to herself on the other side of the door.

Bella swung open the door, sans apron, with her hand still gripping the door knob as she shyly tucked her shoulder behind the open door. With delicate fingertips, she swept hair away from her face, brushed the front of her cream colored shirt and settled her hand on her hip, sighing, "You're early."

I couldn't tell if she was trying to play it cool, or if she was annoyed that I was 10 minutes early. "I can come back in a few minutes if you'd like," I said, turning away from her, walking away down the hall.

She reached out through the open door and grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and pulled me back so that I was facing her. "You're not going anywhere."

Bella slipped her arms around my neck and pressed her whole body against me, hugging me fiercely.

"Ugh, you're soaked," she said looking up at me with a smile and a giggle, thick strands of her hair damp and smashed against her cheek.

"And now, so are you. Sorry about that," I said and then kissed her.

"I don't even care," she said against my lips.

I wound one arm around her waist, picking her slight frame up off the floor; I took a few shuffled steps into her apartment and kicked the door closed behind me, reveling in the soft, hesitant kisses we shared.

Once inside, I set Bella back down on her feet, still gripping the flowers in my hand. I wrapped both of arms tightly around her waist, hugging her with everything I had. She kept her arms around my neck and squeezed me back, burying her face against my shoulder.

"I've missed you so much," she said quietly, blowing her warm breath across my neck as she spoke.

A low moan escaped my lips, and my body involuntarily responded at the nearness of her. I felt the goose bumps rise and spread across my skin as a shiver tickled down my spine. She hummed a sigh against my neck, and I closed my eyes, tipping my head towards hers, consumed by the smell of her, the way her shiny hair felt against my skin, and the way her soft body felt under my hand as I moved it across her back and her shoulders.

I had barely whispered her name when an obnoxious alarm of some kind started blaring.

"Dinner's ready," she said as she nuzzled the top of her head against my chin and relaxed her arms from around my neck.

"It smells amazing." I let my arms slip from her waist and held out the now nearly crushed bunch of orange and fuchsia gerbera daisies. I choked out a laugh as I handed her the tattered, damp, paper wrapped, pitiful looking bouquet, and said, "These are for you."

Bella put her hand on my chest and rose up on her tip toes, tipping her chin up to kiss me. She talked as she walked away from me to tend to dinner. "They're beautiful, thank you."

"Uh huh," I mumbled absently, as I stood alone in the entry way. I dropped my hands and my head trying in vain to shake off the lust that had taken up residence in my head and in every cell of my body. I took off my jacket and hung it on the coat rack and then looked at myself in the mirror, running my hand through my messy, wet hair. I almost didn't recognize the glassy eyed, drowned rat, perv of a man staring back at me.

"Do you need any help?" I asked, making my way to the kitchen.

She turned away from the sink towards me, looking down at herself, tugging at the front of her shirt, trying to cover up the damp aftermath of our very wet embrace. Her breasts were full, firm and very…um…alert under the damp, thin, stretched cotton of her shirt. God, she was beautiful.

I should've looked away and given her a moment of privacy, but I couldn't. I swallowed hard and stared slack jawed at her as she continued to move around the kitchen, preparing what seemed to be a pretty elaborate dinner. Underneath the current wave of desire that washed over me like a tsunami, I felt a small pang of penitence for the overwhelming want that was hammering through my mind, and still, I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

"You can open the wine," she said without looking up at me, pulling the wine out of the fridge and putting it on the countertop. She opened the oven and pulled out a foil covered pan of something that smelled like what I imagined Heaven would smell like on a cooling rack. "We'll be ready to eat in about 15 minutes."

"Wine opener, wine opener, wine opener," I mumbled over and over again, sifting aimlessly through the drawers looking for the opener. The little elusive kitchen tool was the last thing on my mind, but I was willing to keep up pretenses in order to keep my fantasies and my hands to myself. For now.

"Here," she said, putting her left hand on my shoulder as she reached across me to the appropriate drawer.

"Your shirt's all wet" I said with a smirk as I took the opener from her hand and tried desperately NOT to stare at her chest.

She looked down at herself and pulled at the front of her shirt, awkwardly crossing her arms. "I know."

"You go change, and I'll keep an eye on things in here," I reassured her.

She scooted out of the kitchen, trusting me with a few simmering pots and a warm loaf of bread sitting on the cutting board, taunting me. I opened the chilled Riesling and poured two glasses. I picked up a lid and stirred what looked and smelled like some kind of marinara sauce, and then lifted the corner on the foil covered pan, stealing a peek at what was bubbling underneath.

It had been a long time since I'd had a date like this, and the fact that _she_ had extended the invitation was a real surprise. There was something so personal and intimate about cooking for someone, and being cooked for. It implied a comfort level that I hadn't expected to reach so quickly with Bella, but I was so glad for it. A week ago, I was climbing a damn tree, begging for a chance, and now, here I stood in her home, about to be served a meal that she made especially for me, with the hope that we would spend most of the night having meaningful conversations, making out and ultimately end up in her bed.

I was just about to reach into the pan and pull out a stray, crispy edge of cheese when Bella caught me in the act. "Back away from the lasagna, Cullen."

I playfully lifted my hands up, turned towards her and surrendered with a smile. "There is a piece of cheese that's just begging to be picked off."

"I bet there is." She stood at the edge of the kitchen with a towel in her hand, wearing a scarlet red shirt that made her skin look perfect, creamy and oh so inviting, and looking at me with complete suspect as she shook her head and beckoned me, "C'mere…let's get you dried off before you catch a cold."

"Sorry about your shirt," I said as I closed the gap between us, putting my hands on her hips.

"Don't worry about it. I like this one better anyway."

"Me too."

Bella reached up with a fresh, warm from the dryer, plush towel and draped it over my soggy head. She lovingly rubbed the towel through my hair, around my face and neck and then gently combed my hair out of my eyes with her fingers.

I saw the timid, unsure girl from a week ago staring back at me, which presented a bit of a challenge, but I wouldn't be deterred, and at this point I wasn't beyond begging. I just wanted, no needed to hold her and to kiss her, and make all of her uncertainty go away.

Without saying anything and with my eyes fixed on her, I reached for her hands, taking the towel, and dropping it to the floor. I turned her hands over in mine, and I ran the tip of my nose against her delicate wrist before planting one deliberate kiss there and then repeating the gesture with the other.

A low roll of thunder rumbled as the rain fell heavy on the deck outside.

"Did you miss me?" she asked while tilting her head to the side with just a hint of that perfect pinky blush on her cheeks and a slight, contented smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"You have no idea how much," I whispered pulling her closer to me, placing her hand over my heart and slowly trailing my hand down the length of her arm, along her ribs and cinching both arms around her waist.

"Edward," she breathed quietly before I slowly leaned in and kissed her.

Bella kissed me back, gently moving her lips against mine, sliding her arms around my neck.

She consumed me. She overwhelmed me. Her kiss fed me with a renewed energy and sparked a relentless desire that stirred the sleeping monster I had struggled so hard to contain.

Bella's response to our deepened kiss and my less than honorable aggression was little more than a low moan.

I broke away from our kiss and dipped my lips to her jaw, kissing a path down her neck to her chest, as I held her in my hands.

"Edward," she sighed breathlessly, as she pressed her hands against my chest. "Wait."

I buried my head in the crook of her neck, breathing heavy and defeated but not wanting to let her go.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and hugging me tight.

"Shh." I pulled away from her enough to look at her face. Her beautiful, apologetic, angelic face and reached up to brush a strand of stray hair behind her ear and then kissed her gently. "I should be the one apologizing, attacking you like this."

A shy smile broke across her face and she said, "You didn't attack me, and I love being with you like this. It's just…"

I bent down a little bit and dropped my line of sight so I could look her in the eye when I asked, "Just what, Bella?"

"It's only been a week since…well since you came back and I just missed you so much these past few days," she explained as she fidgeted in my arms and touched her fingers to her chest. "I want to hear about your week, tell me about your house, work, Victoria. I want to hear everything."

I kissed her again and smiled, "And I want to tell you everything."

"Good," she said with relief in her voice. "Let's just talk and get through dinner before anyone starts losing clothes, okay?"

"Am I a pig of a boyfriend because I couldn't think straight until I held you in my arms and kissed you?" I asked shamefully. "I didn't even ask you how your day was before I had you pressed up against the counter in an almost compromising position."

"I'm not complaining," Bella said as she slinked out of my arms and reached for the glasses of wine I'd just poured, handing one to me. "And you're not a pig of a boyfriend."

"That remains to be seen. We're just getting started here," I said as I wiggled my eyebrows and touched her wine glass with mine.

Bella flitted around the kitchen making last minute preparations for dinner while we talked. I told her about the trudges of work, about the new office and how demands of it all were overwhelming, and how Alice and Victoria were getting on, which incited a funny sort of reaction from her.

"Did you just snort?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Alice says Victoria is very pretty," she said, baiting me for more information.

"If you like that type," I said with a smirk, knowing that it would get a rise out of her.

"Oh?" The pitch of her voice was high and yet she still sounded casual. "And what type is that?"

I took a sip of my wine and reassured her, "Victoria is _definitely_ not my type."

She turned around to face me with a smug smile on her face and two salad plates in her hands. She hip checked me as she breezed past me and said, "Good."

Dinner was amazing. If I didn't know that I was completely in love with her before that night, I absolutely knew it after I tasted her lasagna.

I told her about my new house, and the small renovation project I wanted to complete before I moved in which meant I had to interview and hire a contractor. Thankfully, the property was already vacated, and Alice already had interviews set up for me next week, so there was a slight glimmer of hope that it wouldn't be a long, drawn out process. I couldn't wait for her to see it.

We talked about her week, too. She gushed about her literacy volunteer work and some of the special people she's helped learn to read because of it. She talked excitedly about some of her high profile accounts and a short list of special events that were coming up. It was nice to hear that Bella had carved out such a fulfilling life.

Over the course of dinner, I learned a lot about Bella. I almost fell out of my chair to learn that she loved Jeff Buckley as much as I did, when "Satisfied Mind" from the posthumous _Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk_, album shuffled through the iPod. I learned that she doesn't like fresh tomatoes, but that she loved them cooked. That she was allergic to wool and kiwi fruit, that she drove a silver, 2005 Audi RS6, that she never painted her fingernails anything other than clear, and that when she drinks red wine she has to resist the urge to drop in a few ice cubes. I learned that she has three favorite movies for romance, "The Way We Were," for comedy, "The Princess Bride," and that "Dr. Zhivago" is what she watches when she wants to cry. Her guiltiest pleasure is some smutty book series I've never heard of, she can't drink tequila and that on more than one occasion she's refused a marriage proposal.

There is a brief bit of time when a new relationship stimulates your every faculty. For me, in this moment, every part of me was so _on_ that I could barely contain myself. I mean, seriously, Jeff Buckley and an Audi? She couldn't be more perfect, and I never thought I could be happier.

It had taken a good conversation, a better part of an hour and a half, and a bottle of wine but that uncertain look in Bella's eyes had finally faded.

We stood side by side at the kitchen sink, rinsing dishes, and cleaning up. The looks between us began to linger, the accidental touches became intentional and gentle. By the time the last dish was placed in the dishwasher and a second bottle of wine opened and poured, there was no point in resisting the temptation any longer.

Bella took my hand and walked to the living room. She held up three DVD choices and asked me to choose.

I kicked off my shoes and sat down on the couch, propping my tired feet up on the coffee table with my arm over the back of the couch, taking another drink of my wine. "Ladies choice," I said as if I didn't care, but I was really hoping she'd choose, "Across the Universe."

She turned to the entertainment center, pushing buttons, turning random electronics off and on and said, "I hope you like the Beatles."

_Yes. _

Bella snuggled up beside me with a remote control and her glass of wine, settling into the crook of my arm with her knees pulled up and leaning against me as she started the movie. I kissed the top of her head and then for the first time since Monday night, I felt completely relaxed.

By the time Prudence sang, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," in the movie, Bella and I had shifted together on the couch. I laid on my back with my head propped up against the armrest and a pillow, I had one foot on the floor and the other leg stretched out while Bella was sprawled out between my legs and resting her head on my chest. And then by the time Lucy decided she was falling in love with Jude and sang, "If I Fell," we were in full on make out mode.

Her body position and the monster's dirty desire echoing in my head made it almost impossible to keep from showing her just how badly I wanted her.

Bella slithered further up my body, creating the most amazing friction between us, and balanced herself on the armrest above my head, hovering just above me with her hair draped around us like a thick, silky curtain.

I held her face in my hands and kissed her again and again, rolling my tongue with hers in a sweet and intense rhythm.

Just when things were getting really heated, Bella pulled away from my lips suddenly, pressed up on the armrest and shot a glance towards the door.

"What is it?" I asked as I sat up on my elbows and tried to peek over the back of the couch.

"There's someone at the door," she whispered and then quickly dropped her hands away and collapsed on my chest so that our faces were only inches apart.

"Hells Bells?" an all too familiar voice called out for Bella.

"He has a key," she whispered apologetically to me before sitting up to address him. "Hey, Em."

"You've got to be kidding me," I hissed under my breath, falling back against the couch, covering my eyes with my forearms crossed over my face.

"Hey," Emmett sighed sadly as he closed the door behind him and leaned against it.

"What are you doing here?" Bella smoothed her hair and tugged at the hem of her shirt, trying to erase the evidence of our activities.

"I don't want to be at home, I don't want to go to the bar, hell, I can't even make myself go to Nalla's," he whined as he pushed himself away from the door and turned down the hall to go to the bathroom. "Is it okay if I crash with you for a while?"

"Umm," she hedged, rubbing her hand on my thigh.

I took my arms away from my eyes and caught the pleading expression she had fixed on me. As frustrated as I was with the interruption, I couldn't be mad or deny her this request and nodded that it was okay.

"Of course," she called after him, then took my hand in hers and squeezed. She mouthed the words 'thank you,' before she brought my hand to her lips and kissed my knuckles.

"I don't mind this interruption, because I know he's struggling right now, but I want to go on record here and say this date still counts," I said quietly, with a silly smirk on my face.

"Edward…"

"Do you have anything to eat?" Emmett asked as he made his way to the kitchen. When he passed the couch, he took a double take and saw Edward was with me. "Hey man, I didn't know you were – oh snap! Its date night isn't it? Shit, I'm sorry guys."

"Don't worry about it, Emmett," I stuffed away my frustration in favor of supporting our friend, and held out my hand to him above my head, palm up.

Emmett slapped his hand in mine, and then dragged his palm against mine and snapping his fingers off the tips of mine. "You sure?"

"Lasagna is on the counter," Bella said as she slid back on top of me, smiling at me sweetly before she gave me a gentle kiss.

"Cool," he said, banging around in the kitchen for food.

"Does this happen a lot?" I asked Bella between kisses.

She giggled quietly and then said, "You don't want to know how often I wake up with Alice standing over me, or banging around in my kitchen, or worse yet, rearranging my furniture. And then Emmett shows up at all hours of the morning when he can't remember where he parked the Jeep after a long night at the bar. It's as if he carries a note around in his pockets, 'If lost, please return to 3521 Logan, Apartment C'. I guess you could say we have dependency issues."

"One might say that," I said calmly as I continued with the kisses.

"Damn this smells good," Emmett said to no one in particular as he loaded up a plate and opened a beer.

"You should really think about asking for those keys back," I whispered playfully.

"Thank you," she said as she rested her head against my chest.

"For what?" I asked, placing my hand over hers and nuzzling my nose in her hair.

"For loving them as much as I do."

"Who…Emmett and Alice? Well, I don't know if 'love' is the right word exactly," I said with a chuckle.

"I'm serious," she said slipping her hand from under mine, and pushing herself up so that she was looking me in the eye.

"I can see that," I said as the smile faded from my face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she assured me and reached up to brush a few wild strands of hair across my brow. "I'm just really happy. My dear, sweet, wounded friend just busted in on a very important date, and this great, new guy that I'm seeing doesn't have a problem with it. Even more than that, he accepts them. That's a really big deal to me."

"I have to admit they are a lot to manage, but I think I can handle it."

"I'm counting on it."

"I won't let you down, Bella," I said as she leaned towards me, kissing me softly.

She put her hands on my face and sighed, "I'm counting on that too."

Emmett stood at the edge of the coffee table with a plate piled high with food in one hand and a beer in the other and cleared his throat glancing down at his feet. "Are you two sure it's okay that I'm here?"

"Absolutely," I answered as Bella and I adjusted on the couch to make room for him.

"C'mon," Bella invited him to join us as she patted the cushion beside her.

"Cool," Emmett said, stepping over my legs and settling in on the other side of Bella. He took a curious look up at the television and shoveled a huge bite of food into his mouth and mumbled. "What are we watching?"

**End Notes: If you haven't seen "Across the Universe," you should. I had a real Bella moment when Lucy sang "If I Fell." Poor Emmett AND poor Edward, huh?! Can't wait to hear what you think. Happy 2009!**


	20. Torch

**A/N: ****Surprise!! Can you believe an update 2 weeks ahead of my recent updating schedule? I know, I can't believe it either. Big hugs to everyone who follows the story and for all the lovely reviews. Even after all this time, they still make me giddy. Special thanks to all the girls on the thread at Twilighted for making me laugh and for keeping me inspired. **

**The song for this chapter is **_**Torch**_** by Alanis Morissette. If you've never checked out any of my chapter titles before, you should definitely check this one out. Its heartbreaking, haunting and totally worth the effort. A link for the song is on my profile page. **

**Tigress and Katy - you're my girls and I couldn't do it without you. Well, I probably could, but it would be a right mess thats for sure. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight. **

RPOV

Goddamn Sunday brunch. I'm not sure how or when brunch at Toast, on the fringe of West Hollywood became a 'thing,' and, yet, that's where I found myself most Sunday mornings. Sitting at the perfect table on the sidewalk where we could see and be seen with girlfriends who weren't really friends at all and whose life's goal was to snag some powerful, wealthy, studio big wig, or the hot celebrity of the month. Hell, I think even a washed up z-list somebody would do, as long as it meant some kind of attention, which was all anybody in this town was really interested in.

I got to the restaurant first and sat at the table. No need to look over the menu, because like most everything else in life, I already knew exactly what I wanted. One thing could be said for familiarities though…prompt service. I smiled at the perky waitress as she delivered my Kettle One, extra spicy, Bloody Mary without my having to order it, and exchanged a few pleasantries before she skitted away to another table.

I paid little attention to what was going on around me; my thoughts were only of Emmett. That big, beautiful, bastard had charmed his way into my discontented heart and made it beat again. He made me _feel_ again. The upside of that was how I felt when I was with him and how I felt when I talked to him or got ridiculous texts from him asking me what I was wearing. The downside to feeling again meant that I missed him and that I was keenly aware that my newly revived heart was breaking because we were apart.

Everything had changed. I'd fallen in love.

I had only been back in California for six days, and I already missed the person that I was when I was home with the people I loved the most. They didn't care if I was cool, or what names were in my contact list, how much money I made or who I had lunch with yesterday. There wasn't anything superficial about those relationships, but here, in L.A., there wasn't anything real. I wanted to dissect the part of my life that was compartmentalized, cold and void of any substance or worth so it didn't choke out everything that was new and exciting and wonderful about the life that I wanted.

Jasper told me that Emmett was in a pretty pitiful state since I'd left which made me feel even worse. Sad wasn't in his nature or mine for that matter, so something had to change.

Amanda was the first to arrive. A quick air kiss "hello," and she took the seat across from me, without so much as a 'how are you', or 'we missed you'. She was a pretty bottle-blonde from Texas who spent all of her money on clothes and plastic surgery, and she had quite a talent for crashing all the big Hollywood parties. After a year of professional crashing, she is finally getting legitimate invitations and has secured a spot among the movers and shakers of this city. No one knows how she supports herself, but on more than one occasion I heard her confess that her only childhood ambition was to be a gold digger. I think it's safe to assume that she succeeded.

She rattled on about her most recent star encounter, completely oblivious to my disinterest. For me, sunglasses were so much more than an accessory, it was the only veil between me and the candy coated fog of pretension that swirled around me most of the time.

Jolie and Valerie showed up about five minutes later, saving me from Amanda's colorful retelling of her big, lusty night with some actor that I'd never heard of.

Valerie was probably the prettiest girl in L.A., but of course none of us would ever tell her that. She had Elizabeth Taylor, lavender eyes and jet black hair, and she was almost as bitchy as she was pretty. She was a typical Beverly Hills, trust fund kid with a ridiculous sense of entitlement and an unhealthy, condescending disposition. The fact that we were friends at all was because of Jolie.

Jolie was the down to earth, mother-hen, Elmer's glue that kept the four of us tethered together. She was a successful commercial actress and the only person I'd ever met who didn't let all that machine called Hollywood does to a person, affect her. Jolie had always reminded me of Bella with her long brown hair and brown eyes, and she was the only one of the bunch who wasn't so self absorbed that she actually asked me about my week, or my life or a dozen other personal questions on a regular basis.

Once everyone was settled at the table and took their first sip of their drinks, Jolie asked me about my weekend in Washington.

"You were out of town?" Amanda asked, completely ignorant of my absence.

"Ugh. The only city on the entire East Coast worth going to is New York City," Valerie interjected.

"Washington State, Valerie…not DC," Jolie corrected her politely.

"Whatever," Valerie huffed, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder.

After my recent escape to normal town and the precious time spent with my real friends and Emmett, I hated being here, spending my morning with these idiots. Well, except for Jolie.

I hesitated to give them any of the details of my trip home because I wanted to keep the memory of it pure and untainted, free from the pollution of their opinions and judgment.

I took a deep breath and quickly told them about the surprise reunion, seeing friends I haven't seen or heard from in years, the baseball game, and the short road trip back to Seattle. When I talked about Emmett, there was an instant and involuntary smile that I felt pulling at the corners of my mouth.

Valerie and Amanda grew tired of my account and began a quiet and inconsiderate conversation of their own, essentially changing the topic.

Jolie rolled her eyes and smiled at me apologetically.

We ordered our food, and I sat there for the next half hour asking myself why the hell I was there, and wishing I was somewhere else. Not just anywhere, but in Seattle…with Emmett.

I watched Valerie talk, without really listening. The way her lips curled around her teeth, almost snarling as she relayed a story about a poor sales girl from Fred Segal who had the great misfortune of trying to help her. The longer she spun her story, the more unattractive she became. With every word, every complaint and every bit of venom she spewed from her perfect collagen injected lips, she twisted into a snake-haired, scale-skinned, wrinkled medusa. She was ugly from the inside out.

Behind my sunglasses, my eyes flickered to Amanda, who anticipated Valerie's every word, like the good little henchman she was.

Pointless. Vapid. Empty.

Heckle and Jeckle went suddenly and inexplicably mute, which jerked me out of my wicked imagination and back to reality. I looked at Amanda and followed the line of her gaze, looking over my shoulder to find a tall, lanky, shaggy, man wearing too many accessories and leather pants making his way to our table, nodding his chin in my direction.

I waved back at him.

"You _know_ him?" Valerie hissed in disbelief, as she ran her hands through her hair, trying desperately to primp before tall and famous reached the table.

"He's a new client," I said smugly as I stood up to greet the man.

"Hello, darling," he quipped in a clipped British accent, reaching out to hug me.

"How's the new car working out for you?" I asked him.

"Bloody fantastic," he said. "American mechanical genius, that Corvette, not to mention the birds seem to fancy it."

I laughed, knowing that there was nothing particularly genius about the Corvette, but he was insistent on an American made sports car, and I couldn't in good faith sell him a Ford. I had to fly to Albuquerque, NM to pick up the 1973 black Stingray with a removable hard top, but it was a good buy, and I made a good chunk of change for brokering the deal.

Finding and selling hard to find, classic, exotic or any other kind of rare cars was my passion, and L.A. was full of people with the exact kind of mid-life crisis, the need to compensate, or the sheer desire to have that one-of-a-kind, flashy toy that one upped everyone else. The young, new money in Hollywood kept me busy and afforded me a fabulous life.

"You said you wanted a chick magnet, so I hope it serves you well."

"Its real panty dropper, that's for sure," he said as he glanced down at the girls at my table, only stopping to show Jolie any real interest as he winked at her. She smiled and blinked back a curious look as I casually moved between them, blocking her from his view and bringing his attention back to me. He tried to peek around me and continued, "When you're ready to sell your Speedster - "

"Save your breath mister," I interrupted. "I'll never give up the Porsche."

He didn't want the Porsche, and we both knew it. I was completely disinterested in offering up what he _did_ want. With or without Emmett, I wasn't now, nor had I ever been a star fucker.

"You've got my number," he said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and not-so-discreetly checked out my ass over my shoulder.

I wanted to slap him for the suggestion, but honestly I needed the referral, so I just smiled, kissed his check and sent him on his way. "You know it baby. Drive careful."

I turned back to the girls and sat down. Valerie and Amanda were staring at me with mouths slacked open, while Jolie took a bite of her sandwich, completely unaffected.

"You could have at least introduced us," Amanda whined.

"He's a total pig. I wouldn't introduce him to my worst enemies," I said before I took a bite of my salad. "I just did you a favor."

"What's up with his hair?" Jolie asked.

"I think it's sexy," Valerie cooed, craning her neck to see if she could still see him walking through the crowd to his car.

Jolie and I caught each other with a look of sheer WTF and burst into laughter.

"Me too," Amanda sighed, copying Valerie's line of sight.

"Do you even know his name?" I asked. "Or does it matter as long as he's a celebrity?"

"I saw him on MTV once," Amanda answered sheepishly.

"Uh huh," I said taking another bite of my salad.

"Come on, Rosalie, you're always holding out on us, keeping all the good famous people to yourself," Valerie pouted across the table from me, with her arms crossed and glaring at me with those crazy, lavender eyes.

"Like who? Russell?" I scoffed. "They're my clients, Valerie, not my boyfriends."

"That's it…Russell Brown!" Amanda shouted and snapped her fingers at me.

"It's Brand, you idiot. Russell Brand," I snarled.

"Bitch," Amanda said under her breath and started stabbing her fork around in her salad.

"Rosalie, tell me about Emmett." Jolie was the queen of diffusing a situation. She took a sip of her iced tea, winked at me and said, "He sounds yummy."

I took a deep breath and looked up to find Valerie looking at me with one eyebrow raised, waiting for the opportunity to shred me, or whatever I might say about Emmett, to bits.

I hated her.

"He's tall, with dark curly hair, big blue eyes and dimples so deep you can swim in them," I said as I twisted in my chair, turning all of my attention to Jolie.

"I bet he's built, too," she mused.

"Like a shit brick house," I quipped. "And the sex is off the charts good."

"Who does he look like?" Amanda swirled her straw around her almost empty drink, clearly bored with the conversation.

"He looks like…Emmett," I said slightly shrugging my shoulders with a thoughtful smile on my face.

"She wants to know who his celebrity look-a-like is," Valerie said rolling her eyes.

"I understood the question, Val. I just can't think of anyone that compares," I said coolly.

"It's Val-er-ie, not Val," she over enunciated the correction, and her eyes narrowed across the table at me.

I knew that would piss her off.

"What does he do?" Jolie asked with a great deal of interest.

"He teaches middle school history and coaches football," I said proudly as I watched Valerie's puss twist into a look of true disdain.

"Aww, he's a teacher?" Jolie cooed. "He sounds perfect."

I smiled at my friend and lifted my sunglasses on top of my head and positively beamed as I said, "He's amazing, Jolie."

"A teacher?" Valerie scoffed with a wicked cackle.

"And a coach," Jolie defended politely.

"I don't understand," Amanda said as she tilted her head and crinkled up her nose. "Rosalie, you have more famous people programmed in your phone than anyone I know, and you're seriously telling us that you're dating some nobody?"

"I'm dating nobody famous, Amanda," I replied quickly and tersely. "But you should think twice before you call Emmett a 'nobody' in my presence again."

"Well, I'm happy for you, Rosalie," Valerie said calmly as she folded her napkin and laid it across her plate and then leaned back against her chair. "It sounds like he can offer you the kind of future every girl dreams of."

I pushed my sunglasses back down on my nose, closed my eyes and rolled my head slowly to the left and then to the right, listening to my neck crackle and pop, but I didn't say a word.

"Valerie!" Jolie gasped.

"Its okay, Jolie," I said coolly. "I was expecting this."

I looked across the table at Valerie, and she looked back at me smugly, and winked at me as if she was foolishly saying, 'bring it.'

"If you hurry, Valerie, I bet you could catch up to the British train wreck that just passed you over in favor of Jolie here. I'm not sure that he's famous enough for you, but I _am_ sure that he'd fuck you in that car of his and then drop you off on the corner of Sunset and Fairfax without so much as a wet wipe and a thank you."

Amanda's eyes were wide and her lips puckered up, as she forced out a shocked and unsteady, "oooooh."

"The celebrity whore game hasn't worked out so well for either of you, so I think I'll take my chances with plain ol', _not_ famous, _not_ pretentious, Emmett," I snipped. "He's actually interested in more than a trophy on his arm and an easy lay."

I expected Jolie to stop my little rant in defense of these bitches, because that's what she does. But when I glanced over at her, she was looking at me with a total look of disbelief with her lips tucked between her teeth, no doubt trying to keep her laughter in check.

"Excuse me," I said politely when I heard my phone chirp in my purse, indicating a text message.

"Such good manners," Jolie choked back a giggle. When I looked at her over my shoulder playfully shrugging, and held up my phone, she completely let go a table slapping, loud, tears streaming down her face kind of laugh that turned every head in the restaurant towards our table.

_Watching the Seahawks game and had to tell you that I think you're a million times hotter than any of these cheerleaders. - EMC_

I smiled at the text, and was pulled out of my Emmett bliss by a delusional Amanda, who thought she had balls big enough to spar with me.

"I am _not_ a whore," Amanda hissed in a low voice as she anxiously looked around us to see if anyone important had caught my tirade. "But you…_you_ have got to be the dumbest bitch I've ever met if you think that somehow you're life is going to turn out any different than mine."

"That's the second time you've called me a bitch today." I delicately tapped my fingertips on the back of my phone and cautioned her. "Careful, _Mandy_, that contact list that has you so distracted, could be your undoing. If you don't think I have the power to have you black balled from every list in this God-forsaken city, you seriously underestimate me and the depths to which I am capable of reaching with this one teensy little piece of technology."

Amanda snapped her mouth shut and looked at me like I told her that her Prada bag was a fake.

"You wouldn't dare," Valerie snipped and then she turned her attention to a right, freaked out Amanda. "She's got nothing, Amanda. She sells _cars_…what kind of damage could she possibly do."

Alice talked about the 'universe' all fucking weekend and how it provides you with what you need, when you need it, which I thought was a crock of shit, until I saw the gift that the 'universe' had just delivered to me. I'd never doubt Alice and her voodoo, mumbo jumbo crap again.

A Cheshire smile spread across my face as I raised my hand in the air and waived my fingers.

"Rosalie Hale," my little 'present' spoke as he got closer to our table. He had on a baseball cap, sunglasses, a bulky overcoat and had a unkempt beard, but he was still stunning.

The holy grail of famous, single, available and desirable had just sidled up to our table and all I could think about was showing my 'friends' just how much clout I _did_ have.

Valerie and Amanda almost snapped their fucking necks, when they turned their heads towards the voice.

"Hi honey, how are you?" I cooed as I stood to greet him properly.

"I'd be better if you told me that you'd found my Bugatti."

I could see out of the corner of my eye that Thelma and Louise were dangerously close to losing their shit.

"No one needs to spend that much money on a car, George. Besides, what in the world do you need with a car that goes 252 miles per hour?"

"Are you telling me you're taking my best interest to heart and you've stopped looking?" he said with a coy smile. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he started to shift uncomfortably on his feet. People were starting to stir around us and, much to his chagrin, to notice him.

"Nope…still looking," I said with a smile.

"Glad to hear it. Listen, I've gotta bail, are you done here?" he asked.

"You have no idea _how_ done," I replied.

"Let me walk you to your car, and we'll talk shop," he said. Without any regard for the idiots, George pulled out a roll of cash and tossed two, $100 bills on the table to cover our meal.

"Fabulous, let me just get my purse," I said as I picked up my phone, and yanked my bag over my shoulder. "Valerie, Amanda, good luck with everything. I hope it turns out exactly as you've planned."

"Holy shit," Amanda whispered and grabbed at Valerie's arm. "That's George fucking Clooney."

"Why yes, Amanda, it certainly is," I said as I smirked down at them. "Oh, and to answer your question, Val, the damage would be considerable. C'mon, Jolie, let's go."

The look on their faces when we walked away was nothing short of priceless.

I could hear Jolie snickering behind me as I dragged her along the sidewalk. We were only a slightly conspicuous threesome as we walked down Third Avenue, and it wasn't long before a lone paparazzi started following us.

George begged me to find his car before anyone else had the chance to best him and increased my commission to 18% if I could deliver it before some big movie premiere, and then he ducked inside the safety of a book store to avoid the annoying pap.

Jolie and I stood alongside my car and said our goodbyes.

"I'm so sorry they were so awful, Rosalie," Jolie apologized. "I think Emmett sounds wonderful."

"He is wonderful, Jolie."

"You're not going to stay in L.A., are you?"

"No, I'm not," I said with a smile.

Jolie smiled back at me and asked, "Well, will you at least let me know before you go?"

"Absolutely." I hugged her tightly and then climbed into the car.

Driving my car, top down, through Laurel Canyon was one of my greatest joys, especially as I made the decision that was going change my life.

I called Jasper as soon as I pulled into my driveway.

When he answered the call, I abruptly asked, "Did you book our flight to Seattle?"

"Yes ma'am. We leave on Friday at noon," he said with a great deal of enthusiasm.

"Great," I said as I walked from my car to the gate that opened up to my patio. I dropped my purse and my sun glasses on the chaise and kicked off my shoes, and then sat down on the edge of the pool, dangling my feet in the warm water.

"Are you okay?" Jasper sounded concerned.

"I'm fine," I placated him quickly. "Hey Jasper, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do about Alice?"

"It's _all_ I've thought about," he replied.

"And?"

"And I've already put in for a transfer to Seattle. If I get it, I'm moving by the end of the month. Why?"

"I've made up my mind," I said firmly. "I'm out, too."

"Seriously?"

I sighed and said, "Save some room in the U-haul for me."

**End Notes: ****GO Rosalie!! I hope it makes you all feel better knowing that everything is falling into place in the world of Restoration. **


	21. Glitter in the Air

**A/N: **I have a tendency to start every A/N with an apology for taking so long to update. It doesn't matter how hard I try, sometimes the muses don't entertain me and I've come to the realization that I can't rush the process. I appreciate all of you sticking with me, for loving the story and for all of your comments. It means more than you could ever know.

Big loves to my girls over at the Resto thread on Twilighted. Allow me to channel DOLLE while I tell you, YOU GUYS ARE TOTAL WINSAUCE! I love my time on the boards and it's because of all of you!

Tigress and Katy - you're the Peter and Paul to my Mary and I couldn't keep this beast of a story together without you. xoxo!

The chapter song is Glitter in the Air, by P!nk. You can find it on youtube, lastfm or you can find the link on my profile page. I can't tell you how beautiful it is...go listen for yourself.

Disclaimer: I love Twilight, but it ain't mine.

**Chapter 21: Glitter in the Air**

BPOV

It was a typical almost sunny, but not quite overcast, August day in Seattle. I put on a simple cotton dress, a cardigan and my favorite pair of flats, and walked the few short blocks to Nalla's for recovery brunch to meet Alice and the boys. I knew I wasn't recovering, but I had a sneaky suspicion that Emmett and Edward would be.

A work event had kept me tied up for most of the night, so I encouraged Edward to take Emmett for boys' night out. If the text messages were any indication of exactly how much they drank, they should be hanging pretty low this morning. Sometime around midnight the texts started to become slightly less coherent, a little sappier and littered with F-bombs. Emmett must have sent 'I fuckin' love you' a dozen times before I finally had to turn off my ringer.

Almost as soon as I walked in the door at Nalla's, my friend Tom was at my side. "I don't know what Emmett and your boyfriend were up to last night, but if anyone in this joint ever needed a plate full of fried eggs and hash browns, it's those two."

"It's that bad?" I asked as Tom escorted me across the patio.

"They are a hot mess," he said. "And by hot, I mean absolutely gorgeous."

I cocked the top of my head in his direction, cut my eyes at him and asked, "And by mess you mean?"

He pointed across the patio and said, "Just look at 'em, Bella. They're toast, and your boyfriend is refusing all my best hangover cures."

I looked up and saw Emmett and Edward at our usual table in the corner. Emmett was resting on his elbows with his head in his hands. He reached out blindly for what looked like his standard hangover cure, a Red Eye, and drank it down in one gulp. He folded his arms on the table in front of him and then dropped his forehead to rest on them.

Edward was leaning back against his chair with his elbows hitched on the armrests and his hands clasped lazily across his stomach. He had on his Ray Bans with a blank expression on his face, and he clearly hadn't brushed his hair because he'd taken the bed head public.

I laughed at the sight of them and asked Tom to bring over a Black Mary for Edward.

I walked over to Emmett and ran my hand across his head, before I planted a quick kiss on his crown. "Morning, Trouble. Did you have a good time?"

Emmett slowly lifted his head from his arms and turned to look at me through a squint and said, "If you'd asked me that question last night, I would have said, 'hell yeah,' but this morning, not so much."

I looked at Edward as I walked towards him and watched a slow, wide smile spread across his face. He tracked me as I came around the table to sit beside him, turning his head slightly, but the rest of his posture remained frozen.

I sat next to him and put my fingers on the side of his sunglasses and lifted them so I could see his eyes. "Are you alive under there?" I asked him sympathetically.

"Barely," he croaked. He looked at me through puffy, bloodshot eyes and his smile began to crack.

"Poor, baby," I said as I leaned over and kissed him and then turned my lips into a pout at seeing the pain he obviously felt. "Emmett, what did you do to him?"

"Me? I was minding my own business, drinking my beer when this genius started ordering Irish car bombs," he argued.

Edward smiled at me and said, "You told me to entertain him. I was just trying to loosen him up, you know, trying to help him forget about all his troubles for a while."

"Car Bombs, Edward?" I rolled my eyes and lowered his glasses back down on his nose and settled back into my chair next to him, shaking my head.

He sighed and took my hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of my hand and let our hands rest in my lap. "They were _Irish_ Car Bombs," he corrected me.

Tom brought over water for everyone, the drink I'd asked him to bring for Edward and a Bellini for me. "Should I go ahead and put your food order in, or do you want to wait for small and scary?"

Just as the words came out of his mouth, Alice sniped from behind him, "No need to wait, darling, small and scary is here."

"Oh shit!" Tom twitched as he turned and looked at Alice. "You're one sneaky little b---, oh, look how pretty you are!"

"Thanks, Tom," Alice sang out as she did a pirouette for him that made her sundress flutter around her.

Although she would never admit it, Alice dressed for Tom when she came to Nalla's. He had always had funny little nicknames for her, hell he had nicknames for everyone, but his interaction with Alice was more personal. He paid special attention to her, doling out the compliments on her clothes or her shoes. They spoke the same insane fashion, pop culture language that I never had the patience to learn.

Tom took our orders and then disappeared.

Alice sat down in the seat between me and Emmett with her work bag over her shoulder and her crackberry in her hand. She reached in her bag and slid a bulging folder full of papers towards Edward.

"It's Sunday, Alice," he complained.

"I know, but these are the renovation blueprints for the bathroom and kitchen, your closing date and appointment time, loan papers and the construction schedule. Of course all of this is based on your approval of the reno design and budget, but if don't want to deal with any of this today, then…" Alice reached across the table and started to scoop up everything she had just passed across the table.

Edward moved quickly and slapped his free hand on top of the stack of papers and sighed, "Wait."

Alice still had her hands on the papers as she smirked at him, but said nothing.

"When do I close?"

"Thursday…but only if you sign those papers and have them delivered to the broker by noon tomorrow," she instructed.

He groaned as he tugged the folder free from Alice's grip and tucked it under his backside. "Fine, I'll look it over and get back to you in the morning."

I hadn't even seen his new place yet. He'd been so busy with work, Alice and making all these major decisions, that I hadn't even broached the subject. He'd gone into great detail when he explained the floor plan and emphasized how spectacular the new kitchen would be, not to mention the two person shower in the master bath. I knew he wanted me to see it, but as usual, our timing had been off.

Edward let go of my hand and picked up the drink in front of him. He smelled it and turned up his nose, as he blew out a sharp breath in protest. "What is this?"

"Just drink it," I said taking a sip of my Bellini. "It'll make you feel better."

He looked at Emmett for reassurance. "Don't do it, man, that shit is nasty."

"You just gulped down that swill with Tabasco a raw egg in it and you're telling me _this_ is nasty? God, it must be awful, then," Edward complained. "What is it?"

"It's a Black Mary," I said.

"Its Bella's hang over miracle," Alice interjected as she dug through her bag. She tossed a bottle of Advil at Edward. "If you want my advice, skip the drink and take two of those."

Edward held up his hand and caught the pill bottle. He took his sunglasses off and hooked them on his shirt where it opened up above the buttons. He held the Advil in one hand and looked back and forth between his hand and the drink on the table. He picked up the drink and slugged half of it down, before he came up for air cursing under his breath.

"I told you, dude," Emmett barked and laughed at Edward's reaction. "It tastes like ass, doesn't it?"

"Emmett!" Alice chastised Emmett in that familiar parental kind of way, to which he responded in that classic child-like, typical Emmett kind of way. The two sat and bickered with each other for a few minutes, completely oblivious that Edward and I were there.

Edward leaned over to me, and with drink in hand he quietly put an offer on the table. "If I drink the rest of this, will you promise that today is just you and me?"

"You don't have to finish that for me to make that promise," I said quietly as I turned in my chair towards him. I leaned on my elbows across the arm of the chair and closer to him.

"I'll finish it regardless because you said it would make me feel better, but I still want you all to myself today." He leaned closer, kissed me and then he whispered, "Just you and me."

I shot a quick glance over at Alice and Emmett and confirmed that they were still locked in a full tilt old lady argument. "Mmm'kay. What do you want to do?"

"What do I want to do today…" he said thoughtfully. He put down the drink, reached for a lock of hair from behind my ear and slowly curled it around his index finger. His eyes were focused on his fingers as he quietly told me about his plans for the day. "First I want to take a bath, and then I want to lounge around on your couch and watch bad reality television. I want to hear all your stories, including all the torrid details about those mysterious proposals. I want to take you to dinner and then I want to fall asleep with you, naked, exhausted and completely content."

His beautifully bloodshot eyes flickered to mine and a wicked grin danced on his lips.

"Naked?"

Edward nodded slowly.

"Interesting…that's exactly what _I'd_ like to do today, too," I said with a nervous giggle.

"Yes!" he hissed and then he kissed me again before he quickly pulled away. "One more thing…just for today can we call a moratorium on interruptions, work, cell phones and Emmett?"

"Done," I declared quietly, trying desperately to stay under Alice and Emmett's radar. I closed the gap between us and I kissed him softly, over and over again.

"Who's going to tell them?" Edward asked against my lips.

"Tell us what?"

Alice and Emmett stared at us curiously, waiting for an answer.

"This is all you." Edward winked at me, picked up his drink and then leaned back against his chair.

"Er…I…we…" I stuttered and then looked at Edward for help.

He had his head tilted back as he took the last, long drink of the Black Mary.

I looked back at my friends, squared my shoulders, took a deep breath and said, "Edward and I are spending the day together."

"Okay," Alice and Emmett said at the same time.

"Alone," I clarified.

"Oh…" Emmett sighed, while Alice enthused, "Oh!"

Tom stood at the edge of the table with our breakfast in his hands. His presence forced a natural shift in the conversation away from my declaration and on the food he placed in front of us. He moved around the table, picking up the empty glasses on the table. When he got to Edward he said, "Someone took their hangover medicine like a good boy."

Edward ran his hand across my shoulders, smiled at Tom and said, "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down."

"Did he just call you Sugar?" Tom teased.

Alice and I groaned at Tom's corny joke, while Emmett snickered and nodded as he shoved his fork around his plate.

Emmett and Edward ate their breakfast in virtual silence save for the occasional grunt or chuckle. Alice shared the news that Jasper and Rosalie would be in town the following weekend for a visit. I was happy they were coming, but also relieved that both Alice and Emmett were more interested in alone time than negotiating group activities. Uncommitted weekend time was a precious commodity and the fact that Alice and Emmett would be entertained by someone other than me and Edward meant that we'd be able to eek out some quality time for ourselves.

Throughout the course of breakfast, Alice kept trying to sneak paint chips and fabric swatches out of her bag in an attempt to engage Edward in a conversation about his new condo. He staved her off with a cautious glare, showing no interest in any discussion about any of it, until Alice mentioned the piano.

"When is it being delivered?" he asked.

"If you take care of that stack of paper under your ass and get it in on time, it'll be delivered on Thursday night," she said with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Alice," he said as he leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "Have I ever not done what you've asked?"

"No."

"Then why are you busting my ass about getting this stuff done on time?"

"Because if you miss this deadline then the dominoes that I've spent two weeks setting up won't fall," she said.

"So this is all about you," he mused.

"Yes." Alice spoke first without thinking but then quickly tried to recover. "I mean, no. Dammit!"

Edward laughed as he watched Alice squirm.

"I'm just doing my job, you little shit," she said with a giggle. "Being efficient for more than one person isn't easy. Believe me if that stuff didn't have to be notarized I would have forged your signature just to make sure it got done."

Edward shook his head and said, "I'll take care of it."

"And to think you _pay_ her to boss you around like this," Emmett said. "The joke is on you man…she's been bossing me around for free for the last 15 years."

Alice swatted at Emmett and started stuffing all of her swatches and paint chips back into her bag.

"What are you going to do today, Em?" I asked.

"I've got big plans, Hells Bells. There's a pre-season Seahawks game on T.V. today and school starts tomorrow, so there's a lot to keep me occupied."

Tom brought the bill and Edward handed him a credit card before the slim, black folder even touched the table top.

"Someone's anxious," I mumbled out of the side of my mouth.

"What? I just want to hurry up and get on with my day…Sugar." He winked at me and leaned back in his chair, and draped his arm around the back of mine.

I held out my hand and offered to put his very important paperwork in my bag for him.

Edward signed the receipt and was on his feet ready to go before any of us had even noticed Tom had brought the damn thing back. He was anxious indeed, and I couldn't have been happier that he was so keyed up to spend the afternoon with me…naked.

We walked Alice to her car and said our goodbye to Emmett and then walked hand in hand to my apartment.

"What do you want to do first?" I asked.

Edward picked up a pinch of the fabric of his shirt near his shoulder and took a sniff. "Considering I drank myself to oblivion last night and I slept in my clothes, I think maybe a bath should be a priority. I stink."

"Why do you want a bath instead of a shower?"

"Because you have that awesome tub and I'm hoping you'll sit and talk to me while I soak, or maybe even join me." He never even glanced at me when he made the suggestion, but I looked up in time to see the smile that he tried to keep to himself.

I bumped him with my shoulder and swung our clasped hands between us. "We'll see."

Edward leaned against the hand rail with his hands behind him in the elevator across from me, smiling at me.

Despite, or maybe because of his crazy, un-brushed hair, his wrinkled, un-tucked shirt and the perfect, lazy smile on his lips, he was the most beautiful, charismatic, confident, amazing man I'd ever known. Our eyes were fixed on each other but neither of us said a word on the short elevator ride, which only added to the tension that was building between us.

Ten days. It had only taken Edward ten days to find his way into the nook. I had survived entire relationships where boyfriends got stuck on the periphery, and never got anywhere near this place, not to mention the nameless, faceless others who never made it past the second date.

Edward had succeeded where others had failed. I wondered if it was because our ancient history had been so innocent and uncluttered, or maybe it was the whole first love thing. Maybe because I'd always considered him the one that got away, the one boyfriend where the proverbial 'what if' actually applied.

A whole new batch of 'what ifs' presented themselves. What if it was all so much simpler than any of that, and it came down to a matter of destiny? What if my dating experiences and sex life had been always been disastrous because he was my soul mate and all of my other relationships were doomed by destiny? Maybe I hadn't been a spectacular failure as a girlfriend or a lover, or even choosing or not choosing the right kind of guy, for that matter. What if the missing piece of the puzzle was Edward? Always Edward.

I was convinced more now than ever before that my heart had always been waiting for him.

I reached up and absently ran my fingers across my chest where my damn missing necklace would have been. It had been two weeks since I'd lost it, but I couldn't break the habit.

"Why do you do that?"

The elevator doors opened and I stepped out backwards into the hall, facing him and asked, "Do what?"

He followed me and nudged his chin towards me with his eyes locked on my hand at my chest and said, "That. It's like your fingers are looking for something."

It seemed that my nervous tick hadn't gone unnoticed. I turned away from him, unlocked my door and explained, "I used to have a necklace that I wore all the time and I had a habit of rubbing the pendant when I was anxious. I lost it but sometimes my hand doesn't remember that."

"Ohhh," he said as if he knew exactly what I was talking about. But he couldn't have possibly known, because I lost that necklace on our road trip, somewhere between Seattle and Forks over reunion weekend, pre-Edward.

Once we were inside my apartment I dropped my bag on the entry way table and walked to my bedroom. I buzzed around my bedroom and picked up socks off the floor, smoothed out my bedspread and rearranged the pillows on the bed. I slipped out of my shoes and took off my cardigan.

Edward followed behind me, stopped in the doorway to my bedroom and watched me putter around the room. He put his hands in his pockets, leaned his shoulder against the door frame and asked, "So does that mean every time you reach for your lost necklace like that, you're anxious?"

I turned to look at him and saw a shade of doubt in his expression. I walked over to him and stood right in front of him and ran my hand up his arm to his shoulder and said, "No, not really. I told you, it's just a habit…more of a tick really."

"A tick." Without so much as a hint of the debilitating hangover that had him in its grip just an hour ago, his eyes searched mine for just a moment. He pushed away from the door frame and reached up and held my face in his hands, he ran his thumb across my cheek. "Its okay if you're anxious, Bella. You can tell me."

"I'm not anxious." I rose up on my toes so I could reach his lips and kissed him intently to let him know just how _not _anxious I was. I put my hands on his, laced our fingers together and moved his arms around my waist, keeping my hands intertwined in his behind my back.

Edward pressed into me and cinched his arms tighter, forcing me to lean back at the waist. I untangled my hands from his, slipped them over his shoulders and pulled my body against his. His lips were soft and gentle against mine. He didn't kiss me carefully, but he was deliberate and persistent.

As our luck would have it, the doorbell rang and abruptly pulled us out of our moment.

Edward pressed his forehead against mine and growled, "If that's Emmett, I'll kill him."

I giggled and kissed him quickly. "What time is it?"

With one arm still circled around my waist, Edward raised his arm to look at his watch. "Ten after two."

"It's my neighbor, Demetri. He's going out of town, and I told him I'd take care of his cat while he was gone," I explained. "He said he would come by around two to drop off a key."

"Well, seems ol' Demetri is right on time," he said only slightly frustrated.

"Two minutes…I promise. You go start your bath, and I'll be right back," I said as I made my way to the front door.

Just as I suspected, it was Demetri at the front door. He gave me some quick, no nonsense instructions regarding Felix, a short list of emergency numbers and his key. I did my best to sound interested as he yammered on about his trip, but I was completely distracted by the sound of the faucet running in the bathroom.

I placated him for a few minutes, as I tried desperately to find a way to dismiss him and quickly get back to bathroom. Edward provided the perfect out when he yelled from the bathroom, "Bella…can you bring me a towel?"

"Just a sec," I yelled back at him. I shrugged my shoulders and looked apologetically at Demetri.

He had a look of surprise on his face and playfully tried to peek past me. "Well, I won't keep you. Thanks for doing this Bella."

I hugged Demetri, wished him a safe trip and said goodbye.

I dropped the phone list and they key on the coffee table and then I went to the entertainment center, chose my mellow, Sunday afternoon playlist on the iPod and turned up the volume enough that we could hear it in the bathroom. After a trip the kitchen to get two bottles of water and a quick stop at the linen closet for towels, I was ready to rejoin Edward.

When I walked through the bathroom door, I saw that his clothes were folded in a neat pile next to his shoes on the floor and Edward was in the tub, chin-deep in bubbles.

I laughed, put down the towels and handed him a bottle of water. "How much bubble stuff did you use?"

"Just a little at first, but I didn't think that was enough, so I poured some more," he said trying to smash down some of the bubbles near his chest. "It smells good though and the water is nice and hot…very relaxing."

He kept slapping his hands in the bubbles trying to make the sheer volume dissipate a little. I shook my head at him, and stood in front of the mirror as I twisted and knotted my hair on the top of my head, and secured it with an elastic band. "You're a mess."

He poked his hands in the foam and then flicked his fingers at me. He smiled at me and asked, "Will you wash my back?"

"Sure."

I walked over and sat on the edge of the oval tub and then reached across the water to brace myself with one hand while I tried to snatch the puffy, blue buffer up in the other. It was a precarious stretch under normal circumstances, and far wider than my reach would allow. I balanced on my hip and my feet lifted off the floor as I tried to extend my reach. The bubbles had crept up the side of the tub and made the ledge where my hand was planted, slippery.

"Crap," I squeaked out.

Edward barely had a chance to recognize what was happening before my hand completely slipped out from under me and I tumbled into the water. I fell in kind of arms and ass first, so my feet were still dry and bent over the edge of the tub, but the rest of me was definitively wet and buried in bubbles.

I hadn't even stopped flailing, when I felt Edward's strong hands yank me above the bubbles. I couldn't get my own hands situated underneath me enough to prop myself up with my feet sticking out as they were so I committed to my situation and awkwardly swung my feet over into the tub so I could sit up.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked with a chuckle. His hands still gripped my arms in an effort to steady me.

"I'm fine," I said. I sputtered and spat out bubbles as I tried to wipe them away from my eyes and my mouth. I opened my eyes to find Edward laughing at me.

I couldn't help but laugh with him at the ridiculousness of it all.

"I've been racking my brain for the last half hour, trying to figure out how I was going to lure you into the tub with me," he said as he ran his fluff covered hands over my head, trying to rub off more of the annoying foam.

"Who knew all you really needed to rely on was the fact that I'm a klutz to get what you wanted," I said quietly. I gave up on the bubble removal and sat crossed legged in front of him.

I was embarrassed and Edward was laughing. After a lifetime being a terminal klutz I had finely tuned recovery skills. Instinctually my brain kicked into 'play it off' mode as I tried to figure out the fastest way to recover or at the very least distract him. There was only one thing I could do to turn this bus around, so I pushed my nerves aside and resigned myself bravely to doing just that.

_Execute._

I shifted on my seat and gathered the hem of my dress in my hands and began to pull it over my head. Just once I had hoped to pull off just a little bit of sexy, but the stripper gods were against me, and I found my arms trapped, fully extended over my head and a thin layer of wet cotton stretched across my face. I mumbled my plea, "a little help here."

Edward broke into a new fit of laughter. He reached over and all but strangled me as he tried to free me from my wet dress.

"Thanks," I sighed and I brushed my hair away from my face. "This is so not how I wanted this to play out."

He held my dress above the water, wringing it out before he lobbed it on to the floor. "What do you mean?"

"I freakin' fell in the tub, Edward. There is nothing sexy about that."

_Distract._

I reached around behind my back and unhooked my bra. I slipped out of it and then dropped it just outside the tub. I made an exaggerated gesture around my head and complained, "_This_ isn't sexy."

"Says you," he countered as he peeked over the edge of the tub at my discarded lingerie and then back at me.

_Recover._

I pulled my arms through the water in an effort to make sure the bubbles were strategically placed and kept me covered. I wasn't modest and I wasn't cursed with any body image issues, but there was the no reason to rush.

I smiled at him and giggled at his reaction. "It's just not how I imagined it."

He slid back towards his end of the tub. His body cut a path through the bubbles as he moved but they quickly closed back around him as leaned back comfortably against the porcelain. I felt his legs brush against mine as he stretched them out on either side of me. His eyes flickered with a bit of mischief. "I'm sorry you're disappointed, but I'm not."

I smiled at him and nodded as I untangled my crossed legs, and pulled my knees to my chest so that I could get a little leverage from the bottom of the tub.

Edward spoke while I fidgeted. "Romance and foreplay and sex for that matter, doesn't always have to be this perfectly planned, or even a particularly seductive, well executed experience. It's supposed to be fun."

Because of all the bubbles, Edward couldn't have been very sure what I was doing. When I held my hand up with my wet undies looped over my index finger, he raised his eyebrows and a sly smile spread across his face. With a flick of my wrist, I tossed my panties on the floor. "And are you having fun?"

"Most definitely," he said as his smile grew wider.

_Success. _

I picked up the body buffer and asked, "Do you still want me to wash your back?"

"Yeah, that would be great," he said as he pulled his knees to his chest and turned around in the tub.

Water splashed over the edge as he moved which made us both laugh. I kept my knees bent and let my feet slide to either side of him, making room for him in front of me. He inched back slowly, and I knew the respectable distance he maintained was for my benefit.

I dunked the buffer into the water and ran it across the span of his shoulders. The water that streamed down his back washed away the bubbles that had clung to his back.

He hummed quietly as he shrugged his shoulders forward, stretching his back and dropped his chin to his chest.

I made another pass across his neck, along his shoulder and down his arm.

"So tell me about these marriage proposals," he said as his body relaxed under my hand.

"Well…one came from a persistent bike messenger who used to do a lot of courier runs for my office," I explained. "He asked me out every week for a year, he brought me flowers on Valentine's Day, and then one day he came into my office, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him."

"What did you say?"

"I told him if he could tell me what my middle name was, I would," I said as I squeezed more warm water out of the buffer and across his back. "He came back over the next few weeks with a new guess, and then he came in one day and made this big dramatic announcement that his dispatcher had changed his route, and I never saw him again."

"Heartless," he chuckled softly, shaking his head. "What about the second one?"

I took in a deep breath and sighed. "I dated a guy while I was in college for a couple of years. It was a good relationship, and he loved me but as hard as I tried, I couldn't love him back. He foolishly asked me to marry him, and when I told him no, I broke his heart. How's that for heartless."

"You didn't love him?" he asked as turned his head to look over his shoulder at me.

"Not enough to marry him," I said quietly.

Edward slid backwards, gently took my ankles in his hands and wrapped my legs around his waist. He ran his hands from my toes to my thighs, as he lay back against me, resting his head against my chest.

His body was warm and heavy against mine, and when he turned his head, his crazy hair tickled my chin. I draped one arm over his chest and with the other hand I dunked the buffer under the water again and ran it over his collarbone. "What about you?"

"What _about_ me?" he asked.

"You have to have at least one sordid love story…one sad little tale of heartbreak," I fished for the dirt that knew had to exist.

"I never asked anyone to marry me, if that's what you're asking," he said with a laugh that I felt as it rumbled in his chest against mine.

I playfully slapped my hand across his chest and pressed for more. "C'mon, Edward, I told you about Jake."

"Oh, so his name is Jake."

"Never mind," I grumbled.

"Alright, alright…I've got one for you," he quickly pacified me. "I dated this woman who would pick my clothes and lay them out on my bed before we went out together."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," he said. "She was older than me, and I think she had some kind of Henry Higgins complex because she was always needling me about my speech, the way I dressed, how I held my fork, you name it. She was a major control freak and I could never do anything right. If I slipped any American slang into a social conversation, she would publicly chastise me as if I were a child."

I dragged the buffer across his chest and then his stomach and thought about my own controlling relationship experience. "Why did you stay?"

"By that time, I was completely tapped out, and I just didn't care. It was easier having someone tell me what to do, where go, who to be than it was to admit that I had become someone I didn't want to be, living a life that was empty."

"That doesn't sound like you at all."

"It wasn't me. It took almost a year to grow some balls and get out of it, but that's when I knew I had to do something huge to get my life back on track. Within months I had decided to move back to Seattle," he said as he absently ran his fingers up and down my legs and across the tops of my feet threading his fingers in between my toes. "I can't regret that relationship though, because she made me realize how far I'd fallen and what I was willing to do to get it all back."

I dropped the buffer into the water and ran my hands from his shoulders to his neck, "and look where you are now."

Edward relaxed further against me and sighed contentedly.

"Maybe I should send her a thank you note," I said with a giggle.

He laughed as he moved my legs from around his waist and he turned around to face me. "While I'm sure she would appreciate the gesture, I don't think you need to worry with the niceties."

The bubbles had diluted enough that I was exposed to him for the first time since we'd been in the tub together. His twinkling eyes drifted from my face to my boobs. I skimmed my hand on top of the water in a vain effort to cover myself.

We talked and laughed until the water went from hot to barely tolerable and all the bubbles were reduced to a thin, soapy film on the water's surface. I was so engrossed in the banter that I almost forgot that we were sitting naked across from each other. I argued with myself for a good ten minutes, whether or not I should make the first move and then as if he'd been privy to my thoughts, he slid his legs under mine on either side of me, forcing my knees up and above the water. He put his hands on my hips, and slowly pulled me towards him with a crooked grin on his lips.

I reached up and ran my hands through his hair, pushing it away from his face. My wet hands made his crazy hair pliable and I gently began to push it all up towards the crown of his head.

He let me play with his hair as he ran his hands up and down my thighs and looked at me with what I could only describe as wonder in his eyes.

I smashed his damp hair between my palms and away from his head creating a Mohawk. Once I was sure that he was properly hawked, I put my hands on his shoulders and smiled at him sweetly.

Edward's eyes were fixed on my lips as he reached up with his hand and traced a slender finger across my brow, along my cheek and his hand settled with his hand on my neck. He leaned in close and kissed me. Goose bumps covered my exposed, wet skin.

"You're cold," he said quietly.

"Yeah," I agreed with him, cursing the involuntary physical reaction that threatened to end things just when they were getting good.

"Stay here," he said as he untangled his legs from around me and pressed his hands on the tub's edge. He stood in front of me, in all of his wet, erect, naked glory and got out of the tub.

My eyes blinked wildly and I asked, "Where are you going?"

"We're getting out," he said as he picked up a towel and quickly and held it open for me. "You're cold and I'm prune-y, not to mention, frisky as hell and as nice as this has been, its time to get out."

I bit my lip and slowly stood up.

He looked at me, dragging his eyes down the length of my body. When his eyes met mine again, they were dark and glassy. I looked at him through my eyelashes as I reached for his hand to steady myself while I stepped over the edged of the tub and onto the wet bathmat. I stood in front of him, expecting him to wrap the towel around me, but his eyes were locked on mine and his body was frozen. I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

I took a step closer to him and he wrapped the towel around my body. He gathered the ends of the towel in his hands at the small of my back and gently rubbed the soft fabric across my back and my ass, pausing briefly to kiss my neck and along my collarbone. He slowly moved down in front of me, carefully dragging the towel up and down my legs.

I put my hands on his shoulders and watched him as he carefully dried me off. He looked up at me from his crouched position, dropped the towel at my feet and ran his hands up my thighs over my hips and gathered me in his arms as he nuzzled his nose around my belly button. He brushed his lips across my stomach as his hands explored my back and the curve of my bottom.

I ran my hands from his shoulders to his neck and encouraged the fiery path his lips traveled as he made his way to my breasts. My breath caught in my throat when he took me in his hands and I gasped when I felt him take my left nipple in his mouth. Tremors rolled through me and I trembled with every new kiss and nip. His touch and the way he teased me with his lips and his tongue threatened to push me over the edge. My legs were dangerously near collapse, but my body craved more.

I wanted more skin, more heat, more Edward. I gently tugged his head away from my breasts and pulled his mouth to mine, kissing him passionately. I wrapped my arms around his neck and crushed my body against his which elicited a moan so low and so sensual that its vibration made me actually believe the mythical, no-touch orgasm might actually be possible.

Being with Edward was exciting, emotional and there was a tangible charge that surged between us. I hadn't felt that _since_ Edward and I was nervous. We stood on the precipice of the kind of intimacy, anticipation and expectation that I had fantasized about for almost a decade and it scared the hell out of me.

I wasn't uncomfortable with sex; I just never thought I was very good at it. Even at 28, I remained unimpressed with the whole thing. Maybe it was because I had selfish partners, or maybe because I was too self depreciating for my own good and I never had the guts to tell anyone what I wanted, or what felt good. I just seemed easier to fake it and move on. There wasn't anything about my relationship with Edward that I was interested in faking, so I was going to have figure it out. Let it go.

He broke away from the kiss and looked at me, searching my eyes as if he were asking permission.

_Distract. Make it about him. _

I tightened my grip around his neck and pressed my hips into him long, hard and amazing against my stomach. His head slacked back and he took in a sharp breath. His hands moved to grip my ass, holding me still against him and then he returned his lust induced gaze on me.

I met his eyes with my own expression of desire as I let my hands drift down his shoulder and his arm, took his hands in mine and lead him to the bedroom. I looked back over my shoulder at him and smiled.

"What about rule number nine?" he asked hoarsely.

I laughed at him as I bent and reached across the bed, tossing throw pillows across the room. Edward stood behind me, running his hands across my backside and my hips.

"Won't you even consider counting our dates from high school?" he begged quietly. "Taking a cumulative total isn't really cheating your rule, its just good math."

"Good things come…," I said as I stood up, pressing my back against him and paused briefly before I continued, "to those who wait."

He hummed in my ear as his hands slipped around my waist and then he went straight for my boobs. He squeezed me gently at first and then rolled my nipples between his index fingers and his thumbs, sending a shock straight to my core. My head lolled back against his shoulder and he began kissing and nibbling the soft muscle at the nape of my neck. I reached up with one arm and cradled his head in the crook of my arm as I writhed and arched in his arms.

"Bella," he said with ragged breath, squeezing my breasts tighter in his hands and ground against my hips.

I hitched my knee up on the edge of the bed and climbed up, quickly turning to face him. He moved to follow me and I stopped him with my hands on his chest. It was my turn to lavish some well deserved attention on him. I glanced down at him, hard and impressive, and then looked back to his anxious, angelic face.

His breath was hard and uneven as I traced my hands down his chest and across his stomach. I kissed along behind the trail I made with my hands and scooted back on my knees as I moved further down his stomach. When my hands and my lips reached the deep 'v' muscle along his torso, he trembled. I looked up at him and saw that his hands were knotted in his hair and that his eyes were locked on something behind me.

He dropped his hands to his side, glanced back down at me with a new spark in his eye.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked as I straightened up on my knees.

"Because I love the way your ass looks when you bend over me like that," he said huskily.

I blinked back at with genuine surprise, then looked over my shoulder at my butt and said, "Really?"

"You have no idea how beautiful you are, Bella," he said as ran his hand from the top of my head to my cheek.

Rather than suffer the embarrassment and acknowledge the compliment, I shook my head and quickly refocused on him.

I reached up, pulling the elastic from my hair and shook it loose around my shoulders. I inched closer to him, barely brushing my breasts against him and then I kissed him softly as I reached in between us and took him in my hand. When I pulled away from his lips and looked at his face, his eyes were closed and a tense wrinkle was knit across his brow. I slowly stroked the length of him once, twice and on the third pull, his eyes flew open and locked on mine.

I gently stroked him again and then changed the position of my hand so that I circled my thumb around his thick mushroom head, dragging my thumb through the small bit of fluid pooled at the tip and then back down to the base.

Edward's breathing was heavy and labored as I continued to manipulate him in my hand. He ran his fingers in my hair and held my face in his hands. He pulled me roughly to his lips and moaned loudly in my mouth before he broke away struggling to keep his breath even.

I moved my hand on him in a steady motion as I sat back on my heels in front of him. I wanted to see him as I slid my hand up and down, moving my palm over him, and then back down, making him move with me. I watched as his abs flexed and twitched with every stroke.

"Bella…I'm…wait…" he grunted between breaths.

I knew what he was trying to tell me, but I didn't want to stop. He thrust short and quick into my hand as he gripped my shoulders. I loved the way he felt in my hand and I loved that I could make him feel this way. I did this to him. I was doing this to him and when he came in my hand it would be because of me.

I watched as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and as the veins and muscles in his neck strained under the intensity. His shoulders tensed and every muscle in his body rolled as the first spasm took control.

"Ungh…Bell…a…ah," he groaned as his body jerked and came in my hand.

I waited until his body was still and then reached for a tissue from the night stand and gently cleaned him up and then myself.

He took in a deep breath and blew it out as he bent over and put his hands on his knees. He looked up at me as he shook his head with a smile on his face. "I just want you to know that what just happened is in no way representative of my stamina and sexual prowess."

"Thank God," I said sarcastically and smiled up at him. I shifted to sit on my hip and propped myself on my arms behind me, rocking my shoulders slightly, teasing him. "I don't know what kind of sex life we'd have it we only had a minute or two to work with."

"Very funny, Bella," he growled playfully and lunged at me, clipping my shoulders with the weight of his body and bouncing us backwards against my bed. He collapsed beside me, with one bent leg thrown over mine, his knee pressed between my legs. He propped up on his elbow and ran his fingers across my brow, brushing a few stray hairs away from my face. "Hey…it's been a while. Sometimes the first shot is fast, but I could do this and be with you for hours, so don't you worry."

"What makes you think I'm worried?"

He wiggled his eyebrows, and I watched the smile drain from his face as his eyes turned dark and his hand drifted from my cheek to my neck, between my breasts and down to my stomach.

The butterflies in my tummy kicked in as a slight bit of panic flashed through my mind. It was so much easier when it had been about him and when I was in control. Honestly, I preferred it that way, so when he moved to make me the target for his affections, I felt the anxiety bubble up in my brain.

He circled his finger around my navel, bringing me out of my neurotic fog and tickling me.

Edward shifted beside me and moved his knee against me, making me squeak and squirm at the pressure. He hovered above me and in a thick, throaty voice he said, "Your turn."

**E/N: **Can't wait to hear what you think. Xoxo!


	22. Better Man

**A/N: I'm slow...it's late...I left you all in a lurch with a cruel little cliffie for far too long...blah, blah, blah. I got a few PM's and reviews that asked if I'd given up on the story. Hell to tha NO. Have faith my little chickens...I'll type until my fingers bleed, and my real life could be crumble around me, but I will never abandon this story.**

**The song for this chappie was a tough one to decide. The runner up is a song that Katy found - on a Nivea T.V. commercial of all things - called, "She is Love," by Parachute, VA. The chapter's namesake is a song by James Morrison called, "Better Man," and a link is posted on my profile page. You can find both of them on lastfm(dot) com or youtube, so please check them out. **

**Thanks to my long suffering betas and friends, Tigress and Katy for coaching me through the most difficult chapter to date. Thanks also to my Resto-girls on the threads at Twilighted for...well, for being so dang supportive. **

**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **

EPOV

Sixty seconds. Give or take a breath or two, I'd only lasted sixty seconds.

It wasn't a big surprise really, considering that the star of my sexual fantasies for the last ten years had just had her hands wrapped around my Johnson. The only encouragement it had taken in the last two weeks to bring me to attention was a look, a kiss, or a gentle touch of her hand. Sixty seconds wasn't exactly the kind of impression I'd hoped for, but with our first, albeit premature interlude out of the way I could focus on her without distraction.

I lay beside her propped up on one elbow, laughing with her and defending my performance. A beautiful blush bloomed across her cheeks and her eyes danced as she looked back at me. She was completely amazing, naked and vulnerable lying next to me, and for the first time since our reunion, I felt confident that she wasn't going to break or run away.

I searched her eyes for a moment and then I carefully swept my hand across her neck, along the valley between her full, round breasts. I sighed a little on the inside as I made the decision to explore the rest of her body first, but I was sure that I would eventually circuit back to those perfect boobs.

I let my eyes drift down the length of her body as I circled my fingers lightly around her belly button. I wanted to touch every inch of her with my hands and my lips.

My right leg was hitched over her thigh and my knee was nestled between her legs. When I shifted my weight to roll from my side to hover above her, she wiggled and moaned underneath me. I pressed my body against hers, balanced my weight on my elbows, which I planted on either side of her, and looked down at her with a sly smile on my lips and said, "Your turn."

Bella giggled quietly and squirmed beneath me as I bent my head to her, gently brushing my lips against hers, with soft, barely-there kisses. I only lingered for a brief moment before I pulled away, tilted my head in a slightly different angle and touched her soft, full lips again. At first she was content with my teasing, but quickly grew impatient. She slipped her arms around my neck, tugging at me while she pulled herself up off the bed, her hungry lips crushing against mine.

She opened her mouth and sucked and nipped at my bottom lip before she swept her sweet tongue against the center of my top lip. I met her aggression with my own, pressing her back flush against the bed and turning my tongue in time with hers.

My breath was heavy and hard against her cheek, as we stayed tangled up in our now passionate kiss. It was sloppy and frantic and absolutely magic. When I shifted my weight, and brought my knee in direct contact with her heat, she took in a sharp breath and arched her back away from the mattress, pressing her soft, round breasts against my chest.

Her hot, bare, beautiful skin was all over me, consuming me…taunting me.

I tore my lips away from hers and struggled to catch my breath. Bella's lips were swollen and pink, and her deep brown eyes sparked behind heavy lids and dark eyelashes. I kissed her again, and then moved to her neck. The floral fragrance from the bubble bath lingered on her silky skin which only heightened my already frenzied senses. She tasted as good as she smelled and with every soft kiss and nibble, my want for her grew more desperate.

I kissed a path down her neck, across her collarbone and then back across her chest. I pressed up on my hands without losing contact between my lips and her skin, and began a slow, delicious descent down the length of her body. Her hands ran across my shoulders, then up and down my flexed arms as I continued to kiss her. I shifted on my knees, and she hesitantly opened her legs making room for me. I settled between them with my lips poised to lavish attention on her glorious boobs. I cursed under my breath and against her skin when she hitched her left leg over my hip, bending and flexing her leg, the heel of her foot delicately pushing and dragging over my ass and the bend in my knee. I laid the weight of my body on her in order to free my hands for more exploring. I brushed feather light kisses around her already pert nipples, playfully kissing one and then the other. I balanced on one elbow while I ran my other hand from her hip, across her soft stomach before I took her gently in my hand. I caressed and pressed her tender flesh in my hand as I sucked and tenderly nipped at her.

Bella arched underneath me, as the most amazing moans and mewls came from her sweet lips. Without moving my lips away from her, I took a sly glance up at her face. Her head was tossed back, her eyes were closed and short, staggered breaths came out in gasps from her sexy, parted lips. Had I not still been completely spent from earlier, I would have come again just by the sheer sight of her.

I teased her with my warm breath and tickled a path with the tip of my nose as I made my way to her other breast. I flicked my tongue over her pebbled nipple and smiled when again, she reacted with a shallow squeal.

"Edward…" she whined.

Without moving my mouth away from her, I hummed in response.

She knotted her hands in my hair and dragged me up to her lips again. She wrapped her legs around me, bringing her sex in direct contact with me, which elicited a low, unfamiliar growl from deep in my chest. Unfortunately, I was still down for the count, but that didn't make this new contact any less exciting.

We broke away from each other, panting and staring all glassy eyed at each other.

I brushed her hair off her forehead and said, "I've thought about this, about being with you like this so many times. It's hard to believe that this is real."

"Really?"

"Really," I assured her. Being with Bella made me feel like an excited, over eager, curious, 17 year old boy again, as if I'd never had other lovers or any other sexual experiences before this moment.

"I feel the same way," she said as her eyes slowly drifted across my face. "Big expectations."

"You have no idea," I breathed before I bent my lips to hers and kissed her intently.

She kissed me back, but with a hesitation she hadn't offered before. Her body stiffened under me, her legs slipped from around my waist and her hands gripped my arms with a little too much intensity for it to have been a reaction to any kind of pleasure.

I reluctantly broke away from her lips and pulled away from her so I could see her face when I asked, "What is it?"

She said it was nothing, but her eyes told the truth that for whatever reason, she couldn't speak.

I rocked on my elbows and raised myself up and further away from her. "You're a terrible liar."

She closed her eyes and sighed. With shame in her voice she said, "I'm afraid I'm not very good at this."

I shook my head and said with a chuckle, "You do realize that what you just did to me has changed a long standing, pedestrian opinion on hand jobs. I can assure you - "

"That's not what I mean," she said with a giggle as she turned her face away from me and for the second time that day, her fingers delicately fluttered at her chest.

She was laughing, but I knew her anxiety 'tell' now, and when I saw her fingers tracing desperate circles against her chest. I had watched her fidget and run her fingers in circles across her chest for two weeks but I never put two and two together. Her security blanket was sitting on my dresser in the corporate apartment I'd been living in since I came to Seattle. I'd planned on giving it back to her, but now I needed to make it special. I had to find a way to change what that necklace meant to her.

I'd figure out the necklace later. Right then, I needed to find a way to get her out of her own head.

"Can you name all fifty states in alphabetical order?"

Bella's brow knit into a tight wrinkle between her eyes as she asked, "What?"

I casually repeated my question, "Can you name all fifty states in alphabetical order?"

I watched her expression change as my random question rattled around in her head. Her body relaxed beneath me and she loosened up the death grip her hands had on my arms, her hands slipping down my forearms.

"I'm pretty sure I can."

"Prove it."

"I don't understand," she said with a look of true bewilderment on her face. "We're naked and making out, and you're quizzing me about geography?"

"The average American can't do it, I'm just curious if you can," I said baiting her with a wide smile.

Bella eyed me suspiciously and started, "Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas…"

I interrupted her list with a kiss.

"California, Colorado…"

I kissed her again.

She slid her hands up my arms and over my shoulders. Her cadence in which she rattled off her list began to slow. "Connecticut, Delaware, Florida…"

I smiled at her and kissed her in between Georgia, Hawaii and Idaho. I kissed my way down her neck and nibbled on her ear. Her breath caught in her throat as she said, "Ill – Illinois, Indiana, I…owa…ah."

I smiled against her neck, knowing full well that my ridiculous challenge had pulled her out of her anxiety and she was concentrating on the game more than she was worried about us or what I wanted to do to her.

I lowered myself on top of her, and she curled her arms and legs around me, holding me tight against her. Her breathing picked up but her delivery of the list became even more drawn out. "Kansas…" she whispered at my ear.

Bella clutched me close, and I kissed a trail of soft, wet, kisses along her neck until I reached her full lips. I balanced on my elbow, planting kiss after lazy kiss on her lips, teasing her with my tongue.

"Kentucky," she chirped as I squeezed her taught, pink nipple between my fingers.

"Louisiana…Maine," she said slowly against my lips.

My fingers traced feather light touches down her stomach. My lips followed along the path that my fingers trailed along her body.

"Maryland…Mass…Mass…Mmm," Bella stammered.

"Massachusetts," I breathed against her stomach as I inched my way down her body, leaving a trail of tender kisses as I moved.

"Massachusetts," she said finally, wiggling under my hands and my lips.

I sat back on my knees and ran my hands up her thighs, over her knees and down her calves.

Bella's feet slid back against the mattress as she raised her knees. Her words were sluggish as she continued with her list. "Michigan. Minnesota. Miss -"

My fingers tickled her as I moved back up her legs to her hips. I bent to kiss the inside of her thigh from her knee to where I wanted to be most.

"Mississippi," she said through ragged breath. Her legs quivered and gently fell open for me. "Missouri. M-Mo-Montana."

Her body trembled. I needed to be close to her, and I wanted to touch her, to get lost in her.

"Nebraaask-ah," she moaned, and her body twitched as I dragged my middle finger against her slippery core.

I strummed her gently, as I positioned myself between her legs, ready to give her the most intimate kind of kiss.

Before I moved to take her in that way, my eyes chanced a look up the length of her body.

Her head snapped up, and she reached down, tangling her hands in my hair, and pulled me roughly up her body as she continued with her list, "Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey..."

Bella's hands gripped my hair, reaching out to me with her needy lips. I balanced above her, pressing my body flush against hers and kissed her passionately. She moaned into my mouth as I continued to stroke her.

She suddenly tore her lips away from mine with a gasp, breathing my name, "Edward…oh God. New-N-N-New M-mm...mmm…"

"New Mexico," I said hoarsely. I kissed and nipped at her neck, sucking on her tender flesh as I ran the heel of my palm across her slick heat. I circled her swollen bundle of nerves with my middle finger before I slipped inside it of her, withdrawing it slowly making sure to apply gentle pressure as I moved against her. She tensed slightly and gripped my shoulders. "Keep going, Bella, you're almost there. What's after New Mexico?"

"New York, N-N North Car-OH! OH…olina," she stuttered. Bella's breath became labored, as I continued to strum my fingers against her core. When I added a second finger, she squeaked in appreciation and pressed her hips away from the bed and against my hand.

I straddled her left leg, part pinning her underneath me and partly granting my selfish nature more contact and more friction as she moved beneath me.

"North…"

"Just let go, Bella," I whispered in her ear, rubbing my cheek against hers as I spoke.

She swallowed a new moan as she nodded her head and said, "Dakota."

I watched her knot her hand in her hair. I listened to the barely audible, breathy moans that escaped her lips as she licked and bit them. I watched her chest rise and fall with each erratic, shallow breath as she finally gave herself over to me and to the sensation that coursed through her body. And when she squeezed down on my fingers, my eyes rolled back in my head, my own breath caught in my throat and I croaked out a few choice expletives.

"Ohhh," she moaned.

Bella was hot, wet, and writhing under my touch. Her skin was flushed with an amazing blush and a thin, silky sweat covered her neck, chest and stomach. She pressed the heel of her foot into the mattress, rocking her hips in time with the rhythm of my strokes. I curled my fingers inside of her, searching, reaching, feeling for the magic spot that I knew would send her body and her senses careening over the edge. And then I found it.

"Oh-Oh-Oh!" she squeaked as she threw her arms around my shoulders, digging her fingers into my skin and clutching me tight to her chest.

Her sex sounds struck me in a place in my body and in my mind that made my heart absolutely sing.

"Oh-Hi-Ohhh!" she said, punctuating every syllable with a high pitched, sexy whine. Her knee shot up, curling against my hip, her body riding wave after wave as the tremors overtook her. She grasped desperately at me, pressing her forehead against my shoulder, stifling her cries before her head collapsed back against the bed.

I slipped my hand away from her heat and across her stomach to her hip. I looked at her, memorizing the feminine curves of her profile as I watched her eyes flutter open, and she slowly turned her face towards me. I tipped my head towards her and kissed her lightly. She reached up and knotted her hands in my hair and aggressively pulled me to her lips, kissing me passionately.

We broke apart and stared at each other, panting with silly grins on our faces, and then she started to giggle.

Giggles gave way to laughter as I gently rolled away from her and settled on my back beside her. Once our laughter subsided, we were quiet for a bit, both completely comfortable with the silence that lingered between us.

"I think we should just stay here and be naked all day," she said as she shifted on her side and snuggled up to me.

"Sounds perfect." I slipped my arm under her head and curled it around her shoulder, pulling her closer. "Naked Sunday."

"Naked Sunday," she agreed with a nod of her head. "Sunday has always been my favorite day of the week, but Naked Sunday makes it infinitely better."

We lay on the bed together, our arms and legs intertwined and talked. We tossed and turned on the bed together, as we kissed, touched, caressed, and played for the next hour.

I had always known that my affection and attraction to her had been mapped a long time ago and the last ten years, searching for someone better or even comparable had been a biological, as well as a physical, impossibility. She was who my body responded to. She was who my mind connected with and who my heart and soul recognized.

She shifted away from me so that she was lying on her side, and propped herself up on her elbow, resting her head in the palm of her hand. She slowly swiped her other hand back and forth across my chest and said, "Fifty states…"

I looked up at her to find her eyes drawn into a squint and her lips pursed into an irresistible pout. "What? You were getting ready to talk yourself out of something wonderful, and I couldn't let you do it. I had to distract you."

She snorted a short laugh and shook her head.

"Tell me I'm a genius."

"I've never been to Ohio," she said with a giggle.

"Are you speaking literally or figuratively?" I asked playfully.

"Literally, I've never been to Ohio." Bella circled her middle finger in a swirly pattern in my chest hair and said, "And figuratively, I've only been to Ohio with anyone else in the room a handful of times, and even then I think it was purely accidental."

I quickly flipped on to my side, mimicking her posture and said, "Seriously?"

"Seriously. Most of the sex I've had in my life has been less intimate than what I just experienced with you," she said with a tight smile on her face. Her eyes moved sharply from mine to focus on her nervous hand.

I should have been gloating and feeling pretty full of myself after a comment like that. If it hadn't been for the glimmer of shame that flashed in her eyes as she confessed it, I would have been. "I don't think you've been paid very much attention, Bella."

"Hmm…maybe not," she said quietly. "I always thought I was doing something wrong."

I dipped my line of sight so I could look into her eyes and stilled her hand with my own and said, "If foreplay rates that high on your intimacy scale, I think it's more probable that the idiots you've been with were doing it all wrong."

A soft snicker forced a slight puff of a breath out of her nose and a faint smile danced on her lips. She kept her eyes focused on her hand, unable to meet my gaze, as she said, "It's all been very unimpressive, really. I'm hoping you can change that."

"That's the plan, Sugar," I said with a quick wink. "I'm eager to please and very impressive."

I wasn't sure what she thought about her newly minted nickname, but I loved it. I moved my free hand to her hip and gently rolled our bodies so that she was on her back and I pressed the length of my body against hers and then kissed her luscious lips. Her lips parted for me, accepting my advances and my deepened kisses.

I let my hand roam along her side, over her hip and thigh and then slipped my hand behind her knee, bending and pulling her leg around me. My dick twitched to life as she wrapped her arms and legs around me.

Bella pulled away from the kiss and stole a glance down south between us and then looked up at me through her eyelashes. She pushed her hands against my shoulders, and forced a roll in which she had me pinned on my back with her hands planted on either side of my face, while she straddled my hips with her knees. "Impressive indeed."

I reached up with both hands, cradled her face in my hands, brushing her hair out of the way and pulled her to my lips. Her arms slowly gave way underneath her and her soft, warm body crushed against mine.

Bella planted soft, wet kisses on my neck and chest and in a low, breathy tone she asked, "Do you have a condom?"

"Do you?" I asked.

"No," she replied with defeat in her voice as she began to circle her hips against me. "You don't have one in your pocket or in your car?"

"My car is at Emmett's," I muttered.

"Maybe in your pockets then?"

"Sorry, no."

"Don't guys always carry condoms?" She almost sounded annoyed which completely amused me. She'd gone from her being unimpressed to wanting to be impressed in the blink of an eye.

"I wasn't exactly prepared for this turn of events," I said with a laugh.

Bella was still for a few seconds before she scrambled off me, out of my arms and quickly shot off the bed.

I sat up slowly, watching her move around the room, opening drawers and pulling a t-shirt over her head. "Hey, what about Naked Sunday? What are you doing?"

"I'm going to the store."

I dropped my chin to my chest and laughed to myself. "What about rule number nine?"

"Screw the rules," she breathed, scampering around the room, gathering up clothes as she moved. "If you could make me feel that good with just your fingers…"

I laughed and said, "Take the shirt off Bella, and come back to bed."

"We need condoms," she said. She was hopping around trying to put her leg through a pair of shorts when I snuck up behind her, snaking my hand around her waist. She instantly stopped dancing around, dropped the shorts to the floor and melted against me when I dipped my lips to her neck. "Need condoms…"

"I don't want to go anywhere and I definitely don't want you to go anywhere," I said slipping my hands under the hem of her shirt. I ran my hands across her stomach and began to push the shirt up her body. "An hour into Naked Sunday, and you're already breaking the rules."

She slowly twirled around in my arms and lifted her hands over her head, encouraging me to the get rid of the offensive piece of cotton. "You sure you don't want me to go to the store? It's just a couple of blocks down the street."

"I'm sure," I said as I leaned forward to kiss her. "We've got plenty of time. A day of endless foreplay sounds pretty great to me. Besides, I want to take my time reacquainting myself…there are still a few places on this beautiful body that I haven't kissed."

She hummed and let out a sigh of contentment as she ran her hands up and down my back, gently raking her nails over my skin. I cinched my arms tight around her waist and picked her up, carrying her back to the bed. She peppered my neck and my face with kisses as I moved across the room. When I got to the edge of the bed, I reached for the duvet and yanked the linens away from the mattress before I gently laid Bella down.

We were settled against the pillows and somewhat under the covers, when I asked, "Bella, can I ask you a question?"

"Hmm?"

"Earlier…somewhere around Nevada, I think…I sensed a little…hesitation."

"That's not really a question, Edward." She smiled at me, running her hands up and down my chest and stomach and asked, "What about Nevada?"

"You stopped me. Why?"

"Habit," she replied quickly.

"Has no one ever –"

"No."

"Why?" I asked.

"I have a little problem opening up," she said very matter of fact.

"Nooo," I said sarcastically.

She playfully slapped at me and giggled. "I'm trying here and you're teasing me."

"I know, Bella. And you're doing great," I said with a chuckle. "After that first night, when I drove you home to Charlie's house and you ran screaming from my car when I wanted to kiss you, I didn't think we'd ever end up here."

"Shut up!" she said as she covered her face with both of her hands. "I didn't run or scream. I walked…briskly."

"Briskly, my ass," I teased. "You bolted."

"I'm shy."

"I don't think so." I leaned in and kissed her and then said, "I do think, however, that you have been with selfish bastards who never put you or your needs above their own."

One eyebrow shot up as she considered my assessment and said, "You got that right."

Unfulfilling sexual experiences had left her guarded and more than a little disenchanted. I probably should have been intimidated by this new revelation, but I was more intrigued and excited that there was a part of her that had been inadvertently saved just for me.

The thought made me twitch and ache for her. A greedy smile tugged at my lips, and I kissed her.

Bella blinked back at me with surprise and a sly smile danced on her lips.

She pulled me to her lips and kissed me, arching her body against mine.

One marathon make out session, three orgasms, and a nap later we finally got out of bed. And in the spirit of Naked Sunday, we agreed to only one emergency amendment when I had to answer the door for our Chinese food delivery. Bella helped me out of my jeans after that and put me in such a state that when we finally got down to eating dinner, it was cold. We sat at the dining room table, naked, and ate. We lounged naked on the couch and watched reality T.V. We cleaned up the mess we made in the bathroom during bath time, took a shower together, played a sexy version of twenty questions and spent the entire day exploring each others bodies.

She offered to make a trip to the corner store at least a dozen more times, but I was enjoying myself far too much to interrupt our perfect day by taking a single step into the outside world.

When we finally fell into bed for the night, we were both exhausted. She fell asleep snuggled up next to me with her arm draped over my stomach and her leg curled up over my hip. I touched my fingers gingerly to my lips which were swollen and tender from kissing. My cheeks were sore from laughing, my body and mind were satisfied, and I was completely in love with Bella.

It had been a very important day for us. It had taken all day, but Bella had finally crossed over and gave up resisting any of my advances. Everything about her called to me. She was brave in new ways that surprised me, she was timid and unsure of herself in ways that didn't, and the fact that she had opened up enough to show me both, overwhelmed me. Our day together had finally given me the courage to think about our future with any degree of confidence. My brain was steeped in a foggy state of bliss as I hoped and planned for the next sixty years with Bella by my side.

**End Note: I posted the first chapter of Restoration on March 28, 2008, so last week was a kind of an anniversary/birthday of sorts. Thanks to everyone who continues to read and faithfully review! I'm inches away from 1000 reviews - so if you loved it, hated it, wanted more of it, let me know!!**


	23. Are You The One?

**A/N: Happy Friday!! **

**Since I started writing Resto, there have been a few songs on the playlist that have been set since the outline was written. This is one of them. The song is **_**Are You The One?**_**, by The Presets. I just saw them live a few weeks ago and went bat-crazy when they played this. You can check it on YouTube or find a link on my profile page. DEW IT!!**

**Tigress and Katydid keep me sane, and I love them for it. The girls on the Resto thread keep me on task, straddling the fine line between good and completely wicked. Love you guys, too!!**

Chapter 23: Are You the One?

BPOV

It was 3:00 in the afternoon and I'd been in meetings and on conference calls since I'd gotten to the office. I was up to my ass in alligators, doing my best to conjure up thoughts of sugar plums and winter wonderlands before summer had even sung her swan song. Holiday planning season had been in high gear since June and my calendar between Thanksgiving and January 2 was already completely booked. One of the perks of seniority meant that I was able to snag most of the charity event contracts. If I was going to sacrifice my own holidays for my job, at least I would be doing it for a good cause, right? This season I would be doing it for a dozen good causes.

I was managing and rearranging the chaos on my desk, shuffling file folders from one stack to another and finishing up my last committee call of the day when I heard a quiet knock on my door. I balanced the phone receiver between my shoulder and my chin and looked up to find the office assistant Bree, mouthing an apology as she poked her head through the door.

I covered the receiver with one hand and waved her in with the other. "Its okay, Bree. I'm almost done," I whispered.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but these came for you," she said quietly as she crept into my office carrying a massive arrangement of white calla lillies.

_Edward. _

I quickly wrapped up the call before Bree made it across the room. I hung up the phone and shoved a stack of papers aside, making room for the flowers.

"What's the occasion?" Bree asked, waiting impatiently for me to open the card.

"If it's from who I think it is, he usually doesn't require an occasion," I said opening the card.

_Thinking of you…_

_737 Olive Way, #2303_

_7:00 p.m. I'll take care of dinner, _

_you bring the wine. _

_Can't wait to see you - _

_Love, Edward_

"Looks like someone's got a date," Bree said, peeking over my shoulder with a bit of mischief in her voice.

"Evidently," I said unable to hide the silly grin on my face. Calla lilies don't smell, but I couldn't help but let my hands linger on the rubbery petals, buried my nose in the bouquet and inhaled.

"Someone special?"

I sat down in my chair and slowly rocked back and forth. I touched the card to my lips and gushed, "Definitely someone special."

"Good for you, Bella. It's about time," she said as she flitted around my desk, picking up folders and a stack of contracts. "You'll have to tell me all about it tomorrow."

I let my mind wander for a moment, thinking, hoping, wishing, knowing what date night might bring. I made a quick shopping list: wine, cheese, condoms.

"Is this ready to go?" Bree interrupted my thoughts.

I shook away thoughts of wine and condoms and sat up to take a closer look at what Bree was holding in her hand.

"It's the Lifelong AIDS Alliance press release," she confirmed.

"Yep, ready to go."

"I'll send it out for you," she said as she headed out of my office, juggling an armful of folders and such. When she reached the door she looked back over her shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Have fun on your date tonight."

I stifled a shy giggle and said, "Thanks, Bree."

I picked up my cell phone and pecked out a quick text to Edward.

_The flowers are beautiful. Thank you. See you at 7. - B_

I hadn't seen Edward since we left each other Monday morning. Naked Sunday had been a huge success, and something I was sure would become a tradition. _Our_ tradition.

I looked at the card again and traced my fingers across his handwritten note. I felt the indention that the pressure of his pen made in the thin card stock, and a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I had fallen back against my chair with my toes firmly planted on the floor, mindlessly twirling back and forth, when my phone started ringing.

"Hey, Em."

"Where the hell is Alice?" Emmett snarled. "She's not answering my calls or my texts."

"I think she's with Edward managing house stuff. He closed this morning so I'm sure she's tied up. Why?"

"I'm fucking freaking out here," he all but shouted in the phone.

"Calm down, Em. I'm not Alice, but I'm sure I can help you fix it," I tried to soothe him. "What's up?"

"Rosalie is coming tomorrow."

"I know, aren't you excited?" I enthused.

"Hell yeah, I'm excited, but my place is a fucking pig sty," he complained. "I tried to clean up myself, but I'm shit at this kind of stuff."

"Which is why you're in this predicament in the first place," I said with a bit of a snark.

"Exactly. I need a crew. An emergency crew of cleaning ladies," he explained rather excitedly.

"It can't be that bad, Emmett."

"Oh it can be…and it is," he said. "I want to impress her, B. I don't want her to think I'm some lazy bubba who lives like a frat boy."

I snorted at his concerns.

"Save it, Bella. Just help me out, please."

I stifled a laugh and started scrolling through my contacts. I didn't use a cleaning service, but my neighbor Demetri did and I had used his girl, Gianna, a couple of times in a pinch. "Okay, Bubba, you ready?"

"Shit! Hang on." I knew him so well, that I could imagine him rummaging around on every available surface area for a scrap of paper and a pen. I could hear the click of a plastic pen cap against his teeth as he mumbled, "Okay. Shoot."

I gave him Gianna's number and then listened to him grumble and complain about his dirty apartment.

"Okay, so one more thing," he said. "Where do I get some of those girly candles?"

"If I send you any further than Walgreens, will your head explode?"

"Just don't send me to the mall, and I'll be okay," he confessed.

I laughed and told him about the little shop on Market Street that carried my favorite candles. "You'll spend about $100 but it so worth it."

"A hundred bucks!?"

"They're made in London – good quality, they smell amazing and they'll last forever."

"Damn," he growled. "A hundred bucks, really?"

"Just suck and up and get a nice candle for Rosalie." I chastised him for being cheap as I shut down my computer for the day and straightened up the mess on my desk.

With his cleaning and candle crisis seemingly averted, Emmett began to calm down. We talked about the weekend, Rosalie and Jasper's visit, and our big group date tomorrow night, while I paced around my desk packing up my bag so I could leave for the day. Confident I had equipped him with the means to solve his problems, I told him I loved him and let him go. I had some shopping of my own to do.

Wine, cheese, condoms.

Weighted down with my messenger bag, more contracts for Bree and my handbag, I touched the tough petals of the lilies on my desk, debating whether or not to take them with me or leave them here for me to enjoy tomorrow. I decided to leave them and headed out of the office. I got about half way down the hall when I realized I'd left Edward's little card on my desk. I went back to my office, snatched the card off the edge of my desk and then all but skipped to Bree's office to drop off contracts. She wasn't there so it was a quick pit stop, and then I slipped out without any real notice.

There was a great little wine shop that had an amazing cellar near the Pike Place Market which was only a few blocks downhill from my office building. I generally avoided the fishmongers at the main entrance to the market, but it was early, not to mention a Thursday, so I didn't think there would be that many tourists to side step. It was a more direct route to my shop, so I decided to take the shortest route right past the fish stand.

While I walked I pulled Edward's card out of my pocket, reading it again, thinking – no, obsessing – about his signature. "Love, Edward." Love. Did he mean "love" love? Or maybe something more casual? I mean, it didn't say, "I love you," after all…just "love." 'Love' didn't necessarily mean in _love_. Maybe he –

"Bella?"

My head shot up at the call, my face completely flushed and my mind completely disoriented by the sudden tug back to reality. I twirled around aimlessly looking for the source of the interruption.

"Bells!" a deep, familiar voice boomed again.

The second time my name was called; I was on alert and turned my head in the right direction. There, at the end of the long, smelly fish counter, I found what I was looking for.

"Jake?"

Jacob Black was leaning over the glass case in the traditional fishmonger uniform – white t-shirt and orange fishermen's waders – grinning like mad back at me.

I tucked Edward's card, and my meanderings about the significance of that one little word, back into the safety of my pocket.

"Stay there, I'm coming over," Jacob enthused. He shuffled past a few co-mongers and in one graceful, fluid motion he planted his hand on the hip high counter and launched his long, lean body across it. His feet hit the pavement and in a few long, quick strides he was standing in front of me. We eyed each other awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say next.

Jake moved to hug me while I reached over to pat his arm. I flinched away from his reach, and he pulled away sheepishly. Then _I_ reached for a hug and he extended his hand for an impersonal shake, which of course solidified the awkward exchange. He snorted and I laughed at our inability to engage. He rubbed his hands down his chest and against the bib of his waders and said, "Sorry, I probably smell a little fishy."

"I don't care, give me a hug," I said as I stepped towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He draped his long arms around my shoulders and buried his nose in the crown of my head.

He held on a little too long and a little too tight for my comfort, but as it had always been with me and Jake, he couldn't let go.

I patted him on the back, moved away from his embrace and asked, "How are you, Jake?"

"Good. I'm doin' good." His eyes dropped to the ground as he rocked on his heels and hooked his thumbs in the straps of his bright orange waders. Glancing back up to my face, he asked, "How 'bout you?"

_Never been better. Unbelievably happy. Walking on air. Crazy in love. _

"I'm good, too," I said casually keeping my bliss in check. Jake didn't need to know that I'd found the happiness he'd tried so hard to give me. "How's your dad?"

"He's stubborn as ever. Charlie?"

"He's still keeping the peace and fishing every chance he gets," I said. "I just saw him a few weeks ago."

"You went home?" he asked surprised. He shifted on his feet, widening his stance as he dropped his hands from his waders and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yeah…" I stalled, trying to filter exactly how much information I gave about the trip to Forks, "Alice, Emmett and I went home for our ten year reunion. Crazy, huh?"

"It's not so crazy," he said lazily as his eyes drifted from my face to my hair, across my chest and then back to my eyes. "You look…really great Bella."

"Thanks, Jake. You look good, too." I reached up and snapped one of the rubber wader straps against his chest.

He did look good. He'd filled out and bulked up. His chest was so broad, and his crossed arms looked huge to me. He definitely wasn't the lithe, lanky boy I'd known in college. His features were a little more weathered, but he still had that familiar, impish spark in his eyes and a smile that could light up a room. His thick, black hair was long and tied in a pony tail that trailed down the middle of his back.

"Hey, its almost time for my break, can I buy you a cup of coffee?" he asked excitedly.

"Uhmm…" I hesitated, looking at my watch, 3:45. "I don't have a lot of time."

"C'mon, Bella," he pleaded. "You don't have time for a cup of coffee with an old friend?"

I had time; I just wasn't sure that I had the stomach to sit with Jake and the guilt and hurt I thought might pull up a chair and sit with us. "I've got some errands..."

"So go run 'em and meet me across the street at Starbucks in like, what, ten?"

I sighed, shifted the weight of my bag on my shoulder and considered the invitation. The last few times I'd run into Jake we'd fallen into an easy conversation and then into bed. I was lonely and he was still hopeful, willing to sacrifice his pride and his heart for another chance. We immediately fell into our same, old comfortable routine, and no matter what kind of lies I told myself, I couldn't do it, to him or to me. Days or maybe weeks later, I'd snap out of my delusions that there were worse things than settling, decide that I was right to have ended it in the first place, and I'd crush him again.

Jake had always been my band aid, but this time, I wasn't standing in front of him with some gaping emotional wound or consumed by loneliness. I could handle this.

"Sounds good, but make it fifteen," I said with a small smile as he started walking backwards towards the fish stand. "See you in a few."

I waved at Jake and cut my path to DeLaurenti's for wine and cheese.

Wine. Cheese. Condoms. _Damn! _Jake.

I had lost my mind if I thought I could choose wine AND cheese in fifteen minutes. And although it was completely irrational, it was a little disturbing to shop for wine and cheese for my big night with Edward with Jake on the brain, never mind the condoms. I should have never said I'd have coffee with him. But I did, and I would, and I'd tell him about me and Edward and deflate his battered ego once again.

I wandered up and down the aisles trying hard to focus on the task at hand. I chose a red and white, paid for my selections and then went downstairs to the cheese counter. I picked a good before dinner cheese, a teeny sample of my favorite dessert cheese and then I booked it back to Starbucks, hoping I would make it back and get settled before Jake arrived.

No such luck.

From across the street, I could see Jake sitting outside at a table and in a chair that looked like it was a more appropriate scale for preschoolers than anything suited for a man of his stature. He was in his street clothes, having shed the trademark orange waders, and was sipping a small cup of coffee, which also looked dwarfed in his big hands.

Just as I was about to cross the street, my cell phone rang in my pocket. I turned away from the corner where Jake waited and tucked my shopping bags into my messenger bag so that I could answer the call. The display screen flashed, 'EAC,' which brought an instant smile to my face and a set off a swarm of butterflies in my stomach.

"Hi," I all but sang into the phone.

"Hey, Sugar, what are you doing?" Edward asked playfully.

I stole a glance at Jake waiting patiently at the coffee shop over my shoulder and then quickly turned away. I swallowed a bit of anxiety mixed with a dash of guilt and said, "I cut out early to run some errands. How's the house stuff coming along?"

"Fine. Alice had to leave to take care of another client, so I'm on my own here waiting for my contractor to show up and then the piano delivery." His voice echoed in the empty space of his new house as he spoke to me. I could hear the click of his dress shoes on what I assumed were hardwood floors under his feet. "I can't wait for you to see the place."

"I can't wait to see _you_," I said quietly. "Thank you again for the flowers."

"I'm glad you like them."

"They're beautiful. You're spoiling me," I said as a slight smile spread across my face.

The echoing footsteps I'd heard throughout our conversation stopped as he countered, "I haven't begun to spoil you, Bella."

I felt the warmth of his voice insulate me from the outside world.

"I'm looking forward to it," I said in an uncharacteristic purr. Immediately my smile broadened, and I covered my face with my hand as I felt a familiar crimson heat creep up my chest and my face. I turned a tight circle on my heel where I stood and then took my hand away from my face to find Jake waving at me from where he sat across the street.

"You should be…I know I am. Oh! Hey the contractor is here, so I have to go," he said, abruptly changing his tone from seductive to all business. The heavy footsteps on the hardwood clicked in the background again.

"Oh, okay. Sure," I said as I weakly waved back at Jake.

"See you at seven?" he asked.

"See you at seven."

"Okay then, I have to go."

"Hey Edward?" I'd hoped I'd gotten his attention before he completely checked out on our call.

"Yeah?"

I took a sideways glance across at smiling Jake and then said to Edward, "I'm looking forward to tonight."

He let out a soft laugh, a sigh and then said, "Me too, Bella."

"Bye, Edward."

He said his goodbye, and I slowly closed my phone, disconnecting the call. I situated my bags on my shoulder and mustered up the courage to face Jake.

As I walked through the crowded cross walk, I could see the anticipation and expectation on his face. He must have thought this little rendezvous would end up like all the others. Poor guy. I didn't relish the thought that my rejection and the revelation about Edward and me would rip his heart out, but he deserved to know the truth. And I needed, no – I _wanted_ to honor my relationship with Edward and no matter how hard it might be, and as badly as I hated hurting Jake, that was exactly what I was going to do.

_God, I hope he has a girlfriend._

EPOV

"You must be my contractor," I said extending my hand to the more official looking of the two gentlemen who stood at my door. "I'm Edward Cullen. Thanks for coming."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Cullen, Alec Harmson," the man with the metal clipboard and a blueprint tube tucked under his arm, said as he shook my hand. "It's nice to finally meet the man behind that fireball assistant of yours."

"Fireball is one way to describe her," I said with a snort and invited him in.

Alec turned back to his associate and made the introduction. "Mr. Cullen, this is your project foreman…"

"J.R.," the man said simply as he roughly shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you both," I offered. "Considering I've only officially owned the place for less than five hours, I'm afraid the only good surface space for you to spread out is in the kitchen."

"No problem, Mr. Cullen," Alec said as he and J.R. followed me through the empty space to the kitchen.

"Please, call me Edward."

"Okay, Edward," Alec said placing his clipboard on the ugly kitchen island. "Let's see what we've got here, shall we?"

While Alec opened the black tube and began spreading out the renovation plans, I looked at J.R. and smiled politely. His eyes only met mine for a brief second, before a forced, tight, almost polite smile flashed on his face and then he turned to run his hand along the length of the countertop, checking things out.

Anticipation turned to curiosity, and then as much as I hated to admit it, judgment as I watched J.R. inspecting the kitchen that I was going to have gutted. He opened and closed a few cabinets, the pantry and checked out the appliances. He stopped directly across from me, leaned against the counter with his arms crossed and kept his eyes on the floor.

I generally wrote the inability to make and maintain eye contact off as a character flaw, or worse yet, as a sign of a dishonest nature. I just met the guy and had already formulated an opinion and a full scale character profile. I trusted Alice though, and after Alec began explaining the renovation plans, I trusted him, too. I reminded myself that it's the foreman's job to be crusty, rough and the ultimate task master, and decided that no matter what I thought of this J.R. guy, that he was probably well suited for the job.

Alec, J.R. and I poured over every minute detail of the plans for the next hour. J.R. knocked on walls and Alec measured things and marked the walls with all manner of construction gibberish.

J.R. explained the construction schedule, reviewed the permit applications and quite honestly impressed me with his cool control and confidence. He still couldn't look me in the eye when he spoke, but Alec could, so I decided that was going to have to be enough. He was the foreman on a construction job. What did it matter what I might think of him personally?

The two men were having a discussion about what might be the best approach for the shower expansion when my cell rang. I excused myself to the empty bedroom and answered the call.

"Hi, Alice." I walked to the floor to ceiling windows and looked out over the city.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"The contractor is here now."

"Oh Good!" she enthused. "Was he on time?"

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

"That's the sign of a good contractor," she fired back. "It's been my experience that most of the contractors are either late or they don't show up at all."

I drummed my fingertips against the cool glass and then leaned my forehead against it, looking down at the busy street below. "I think we've got a winner here with Alec."

"Good. I'm…I've got…" she stuttered, her thought suspended in the silence for second. I could hear the shuffling of papers, her distraction apparent as she multi-tasked.

"Hello?."

"Oh – right – I've got a surprise for you," she said excitedly. "Just a minute."

I heard Alice barking orders at God knows who. I laughed sympathetically for the poor soul she was ordering around. The sound of the door bell, my door bell, pulled my attention from the Alice show on the other end of the phone.

With the phone still to my ear, I walked to the front door to find two huge guys wearing matching t-shirts that said, "Six Pack Movers and Delivery Service."

"Can I help you?" I asked curiously.

"You Edward Cullen?" Six Pack number one asked gruffly.

"Yes."

"Delivery for you."

I peeked out the open door and saw what looked like a palate jack full of plastic wrapped, padded furniture.

"Okay, I'm back," Alice chirped in my ear.

"Just a minute," I said to the Six Pack twins as I slowly closed the door.

"Alice?" I asked slowly and hesitantly. "Why are there two guys the size of linebackers at my door telling me they have a delivery for me?"

"Yea!!" she squealed. "It's your surprise."

"What exactly is my surprise?"

"Well you knew you're getting your piano today, but what you _didn't_ know was that they were bringing your bed too," she said exuberantly.

"My bed? I hadn't even decided –"

"Which one?" Alice interrupted. "I know, but this one was really the best choice, Edward. I decided for you"

I opened the door and gestured for the bored, annoyed looking Six Pack twins to come on in.

"You honestly don't know anything about boundaries do you?" I asked with a chuckle.

"I'm way more efficient and decisive without them," she explained without any hint of an apology. "Isn't it even remotely comforting that at least one of us is unencumbered by –"

"A conscience? A healthy respect for others?" I cut her off.

"Oh shush it, you can pretend you're mad offended if you want," she chided. "You just wait until you see it and then you'll thank me."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled knowing she was probably right. "Let me ask you something though."

"Fire away."

"I'm looking at the tentative reno schedule, and I'm not going to be sleeping here anytime soon. Why did this need to happen now?"

"Who said anything about sleeping," she said mischievously.

I couldn't speak. What was she thinking?

"Think about it, Edward. Emmett doesn't have a key to your new place…it solves your alone time issue, now doesn't it?"

"That's nice. A messy construction zone is the perfect setting for seduction," I said sarcastically.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you'll thank me for it later."

"We'll see," I said just as the twins came traipsing past me, each carrying a piece of the king size mattress set under their arm as if it was nothing.

"You wanna show us where to park this?" Six Pack number two asked.

"I have to go," I snapped at Alice.

"Sheets and bedding are in the big walk-in closet in your bedroom," she said urgently before I shut her down and ended the conversation. "Call me once everything is set up!"

"Goodbye, Alice," I said sternly, but with a touch of humor, and then I closed my phone. She was a total nut job, but I loved her despite it.

Alec and J.R. were waiting for me in the kitchen. "Sorry, guys," – I waved my hand in the direction of the delivery guys – "this was a bit of a surprise."

"Let me guess…courtesy of the fireball?" Alec asked with a grin on his face.

"Bingo," I said sighing and raking my hand through my hair.

Alec laughed and for the first time since I met the guy, J.R. cracked a smile.

I gave J.R. a set of keys, a written list of access codes, and all my contact information, handed a check to Alec and showed them to the door. We said our goodbyes, and I watched as the two men walked out into the hall and squeezed past my beautiful, new baby Steinway as they left.

Even with both of the huge double doors open, the Six Packs struggled to get my piano into the condo. They took the doors off the hinges and even then, they barely wheeled her in and placed her in her new home. I supervised her placement and then sent the big guys off to build the bed while I carefully unwrapped my piano.

The twins finished building the bed and had me sign the delivery receipt.

"Later, dude," Six Pack number one said, holding out his burly fist instead of his hand.

"Oh, right," I said as I awkwardly bumped my fist against his. I'd spent the last ten years in London. They don't do this ridiculous fist bump thing in London.

"See ya," Six Pack number two said as he punched my still balled up fist.

_OW!_ "Yeah, see ya." I winced as the brawny boys lumbered out into the hall.

I flexed and shook out my hand, as I pulled out my phone to check the time. Ten 'til 6:00. "Shit! I have to get out of here," I muttered to myself. I had an hour to get to the apartment, shower, pick up dinner and then get back here to meet Bella.

I quickly went around my new place, turning off the lights and making sure that everything was still squared away. Before I switched off the light in my bedroom, I took a look at the bed that Alice had picked out, purchased and delivered without my knowledge. I went to the closet and sure enough, there were three big shopping bags filled with everything I'd need to make a nice bed. I shook my head and closed the closet door. She was right, it was the perfect choice, and if all went well tonight, yes, I would thank her for it later.

**End Notes: Happy Mother's Day to all the hot mamas out there! Looking forward to hearing what you think. So curious!!**


	24. Can't Take My Eyes Off You

**A/N:** Yes, and update took an age. I can't even apologize for it anymore. It is what it is.

Kisses to Tigress and katydid for making me look good.

This chappie is all about the love. The song/chapter title is by Lady Antebellum and is called, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." There is a snippet of it on the iTunes playlist that I have linked from the profile page, but you can find it at youtube or lastfm too. Please check it out.

When last I left you…B&E were planning for date night. B ran into Jake (doh!) and Edward closed on his house, got a visit from the Six Pack twins bearing a surprise furniture delivery, he met his contractors and handed over access to his home and life to a job foreman named J.R.(dun dun DUUUUUUN)!

The initials are M.S. not S.M. - I don't own a thing.

Chapter 24: Can't Take My Eyes Off You

BPOV

Much to my surprise, I managed to access and navigate the parking garage at 737 Olive Way without any real trouble. I maneuvered my way, lower and lower into the depths of the parking structure looking for parking stall number 35, which I was soon to discover just so happened to be the spot next to Edward's Volvo.

I sat in the car, gathering my thoughts, trying to suppress the butterflies for a couple of minutes before I decided it was an exercise in futility. I had a box of condoms and a really hot boyfriend waiting for me on the 23rd floor. Butterflies were just part of the gig.

I found the parking garage elevator and carefully keyed in the code that granted me access to the residences. Thankfully it was an express ride so my butterflies and I were free to be openly giddy and bounce with glee alone in the car until that glorious number '23' lit up the console.

The elevator opened and I got off, looking left, right and then left again hoping for some kind of directional signs that might tell me which way to go. I started to my left and then something caught my ear behind me. I stopped to listen. The sound was barely audible but unmistakable, and I knew I had taken a wrong turn. As I made my way back past the elevators and down the corridor, the muted sound became more pronounced. Edward was playing the piano.

In his most recent text message, he asked me to bring wine glasses and said the door would be open so I should come on in. I stood in front of his door, trying to will the butterflies into submission, and then tried the handle. I had intended on sneaking in quietly because I didn't want to interrupt his playing. Sneaking quietly turned to gawking privately, stunned into silence as I stole my first glance at Casa de Cullen.

When Edward and I were on the phone earlier and I heard his footfalls in the background, I guessed there were hardwood floors. I should have also guessed there would be a twist on the traditional, but the fact that the floor was a very chic black hardwood was most impressive. There was an intricate inlay in various shades and grains of black and grays in the entryway that looked like some kind of star. The walls were stark white and the ceilings were high and had the widest crown molding I'd ever seen.

All I could see past the entry way was downtown Seattle through a wall of floor to ceiling windows. As I shuffled along on my unguided tour, I found the kitchen to my left where I promptly dropped off the shopping bags and my purse on the counter top nearest me, with barely a glance as I continued to survey the space with a slack jaw and wide eyes.

The kitchen was a little small but the appliances were okay and stainless. The countertop was a rough slate stone, the cabinets were bulky and the hardware was chunky. After seeing it for myself, I understood why Edward was having it renovated. About fifteen feet from the edge of the kitchen, the gorgeous black floors suddenly dropped off and just over the edge there was a sunken living room. I stood on the edge of the four steps that led to the living room, gaping at the plush, creamy, and high piled, possibly shag, carpet. I wanted to kick my shoes off and sink my bare feet into it. To my left, there was a fireplace tucked amongst a wall of built in shelves and cabinets. With that view, that fabulous carpet and the general surge of testosterone that hung in the air, Edward's new house was a den of seduction, barring that kitchen that desperately needed work.

"Holy. Shit," I gasped as a breathy, uncontrollable giggle escaped me.

"Hey, Sugar," Edward called to me above the music, startling me.

I had been so enthralled by my surroundings, that I hadn't even verbally acknowledged that I was there, much less looked for him. Adjacent to the sunken den, but on the same level as where I stood, was what was probably intended to be a formal dining room. Only this was obviously never going to be a dining room because there a piano smack in the middle of it and a grinning, cheeky Edward sitting behind it.

I looked at him, smiled and said, "Hey, you."

The music transitioned from classical to something a little more jazzy and modern. "So what do you think of the place?"

"It's beautiful," I said smoothing my hair away from my face and pushing it over my shoulder.

"You're beautiful," he replied.

I rolled my eyes at him, shook my head and said, "No, you are."

He laughed as he changed tunes again and said, "It doesn't make me feel very manly when my girlfriend says I'm beautiful."

"But you are beautiful," I said with a wink in his direction. I turned towards the living room – er, the music room and crossed the black hardwoods to get to him. "The most beautiful man I've ever known."

"Ah…but not the most beautiful man you've ever seen," he teased as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Hmm?"

"You're the most beautiful man I've ever kissed and been naked with."

"Well…there is that."

"That counts for something, doesn't it?"

He closed his eyes, nodded slowly and changed tunes and tempo again. "It counts for everything."

I listened quietly as I approached the piano's edge and then giggled when I recognized what he was playing. "Is that…"

"Uh huh," he said, his sparkling green eyes turned up to look at me, the familiar music filling the empty space around us.

I laid my forearms across the shiny, lacquered top of his new toy and leaned in while Edward played the poppy solo of the piece.

"Are you going to sing it, or shall I?" he asked playfully.

"Definitely you," I said as I planted one elbow on the surface of the piano and brought my hand up to my jaw. I thrummed my fingers against my cheek and looked at him expectantly.

He didn't disappoint.

In a perfectly imitated falsetto he sang out, "Oh! Kenny and Roger have you seen 'em yet – Oh! But they're so spaced out…"

I couldn't help but join him. "Bu Bu Bu Bennie and the Jetsssss."

While we sang, he nudged his head to his left, making the invitation for me to sit by him. Edward played with a little more bounce than Elton if that was possible, but we sang the rest of the song together. He of course had perfect pitch, while my screeching was bad enough to unhinge a pack of dogs.

We giggled as we trudged through the final chorus together, and he nudged my shoulder with his. The flourish with which he concluded the song made me burst into a new, uncontrolled fit of laughter.

"That was a cheesy '27 Dresses' kind of moment, wasn't it?"

"27 what?" he asked laughing. Edward turned slightly on the bench next to me, stretched out his right arm resting on the shelf above the keyboard while his left hand slipped down my back. There wasn't even a hint of recognition on his face.

"'27 Dresses'…the movie?"

His gaze drifted from my eyes to my lips and with an almost drowsy smile on his face he quietly said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Never mi-"

Edward cut me off and in a flash had pulled me into a searing kiss. My body responded to him before my brain could, my hands grasping and clutching his shirt in my hands, trying desperately to get closer.

Sitting side by side made it awkward for proper entanglement that this kind of kiss warranted. The "I-haven't-seen-my-boyfriend-all-week" kind of kiss. Without taking my lips from his, I put my hands on his face and stood up just enough to turn so I could sit across his lap. His hands guided my hips through the maneuver, and we both giggled, but maintained the kiss when my butt dragged across the keys as I turned. Once I was settled on his lap, it was perfect. He was perfect. We were perfect.

I could feel the hard planes and warmth of his chest under the soft cotton of his t-shirt beneath my hands. His hands snaked slowly along the length of my thighs, around and over my hips. There was something terribly sexy about the sound of our exaggerated breath, of the soft, wet sound of our kiss and the random plink of a note or a run of the piano keys echoing in the all but empty room as he held me, hugged me and kept me bound tightly to him.

Edward moved away from my lips and began kissing a fiery path across my cheek and down my neck. "God, I missed you," he mumbled against my collarbone between kisses.

The bristle of the stubble on his jaw and chin rasped against the sensitive skin on my neck which made me twist and writhe, caught between the bliss and tickle of the rough sensation. With my arms tightly around his neck, my fingers dug into the hard muscles in his shoulders, pulling him closer. I barely squeaked my reply, "I missed you, too."

My physical reaction only encouraged him. He nipped at me with his teeth, placing exaggerated, open mouth kisses that allowed for more scruffy contact against my skin.

I moaned in response.

He tightened his grip around my waist, and I felt him smile against my neck as he went on about the business of seducing me.

"Sweet mother of OW!" My knee jerked up and my body twisted away from his attention.

"My bad."

"You bit me!"

Edward pulled back and looked at me with a spark in his eyes, a sexy smirk on his lips and said, "That's going to leave a mark."

My eyes softened, I relaxed in his arms and my own lips twisted into a smirk that matched his. "Do it again."

He cocked his head slightly and his brows lifted in amusement at my suggestion. His hands ran up and down my back from shoulder to hip as he leaned back into my neck, gently brushing his lips and then his tongue against my neck. He grazed a soft patch of skin with his teeth and then gently closed his lips around his teeth, biting and kissing me at the same time.

My jaw nuzzled against the top of his head and a noise that I didn't recognize as my own escaped my lips. His hands gripped my hips roughly, and I heard him curse under his breath.

Edward turned his face to mine and said, "That sound you made," he paused and swallowed hard before he continued, "Went straight from my ear to my –"

"I know," I interrupted him, shifting slowly on his lap.

His fingers dug into my hips as he tried to stifle my teasing. "If you don't stop we'll never make it though dinner," he warned with a soft laugh.

I wanted to tease him but the look in his eyes foreshadowed the ripping of clothes and frantic, uncomfortable piano sex. I'd waited too long and had too many fantasies about what this night would bring, that I gave into his plea for restraint. "What's for dinner?"

"Sushi," he replied with a sigh and a look of absolute relief.

"Mmmm…yummy," I said rubbing my hands together eagerly.

He patted me on the bum, indicating I should get up and asked, "Did you get my message about the wine glasses?"

I stood up and then followed him to the kitchen. "Yes, but not before I'd already left the apartment."

"Oh, sorry," he said as he opened the fridge and began pulling out several flat, paper take out containers. "Well it's not very civilized, but I suppose we could always just drink from the bottle."

"That's so tacky," I said rummaging through the bags I'd brought in and pulled out a plastic wrapped sleeve of shiny, red cups, "Especially when we have these!"

"Now that's high class," he replied with a chuckle.

"It's the best I could do at 7-11." I continued unpacking my shopping spoils onto the countertop and asked, "Are you offended by the practical simplicity of the red Solo cup?"

"Definitely not." He stopped his preparations and moved to kiss me quickly. He settled into position across from me, pressed his hand on the countertop flexing his bicep as he leaned forward and hooked the thumb of his free hand in his pocket. "I admire your resourcefulness."

"Thank you."

"Do you want dinner first or the tour?"

"You seem very anxious to feed me," I said with a giggle.

"I'm anxious all right, but not about dinner," he said as he swiped the back of his hand across his mouth and then he returned to the take out boxes. "I'm trying very hard not to expose my one track mind."

"Let's just open the wine, have a big red cup of chardonnay, and you can show me your home," I suggested.

"You brought the opener, right?"

"Sure did," I replied as I surveyed the items I'd already unpacked. _Wine, cheese…_. I reached into the last bag and instead of finding the wine opener, my fingers brushed the edge of the box of condoms which made me blush, but I sucked it up and pulled it out into the open. I slapped the box down on the counter, my hand patting it nervously. "Oh, and I brought these, too."

A big, wide smile broke out on his face as he reached into his back pocket. He fished for a secret little something and then slapped his hand down on the counter next to mine. When he moved his hand away there were three square foil packets spread out on the slate. "Me, too."

I looked from the condoms, my box and his three packets, and then up to his expectant face with a flash of my eyes. "I'm gonna need wine," I said nervously reaching for my purse in search of the wine opener.

He chuckled quietly and began putting the sushi back into the fridge.

"I have to tell you something first," I balked at the confession I was about to make. I pulled the wine opener from my purse, put it on the counter top and pushed it in his direction.

"Oh?" he asked, closing the refrigerator door. He crossed from the fridge to stand at the island countertop across from me. He picked up the little kitchen tool and started opening the wine. "What's up?"

"I ran into Jake today."

"Really." His tone was casual, but he didn't look at me as he tore the metallic seal away from the bottle and began to twist the corkscrew into the cork. "And how was that?"

"Fine. A little awkward, but it was fine," I offered.

"Awkward because..." he asked hoping for more detail.

"Because it was the first time we'd run into each other when one of us was unavailable." That word 'unavailable' hung in the air all wrong, so I quickly added, "You know what I mean, committed and in a relationship. I told him all about us, about you and watched him try to hide his disappointment in the news."

He pulled the cork out of the bottle with a dull 'pop' and asked, "How did he take it?"

"He was surprised, but took it well enough, I suppose," I explained as I tore through the plastic and pulled out two red cups. "Jake was the first guy I dated with any kind of intent after you…well…"

"After I left," he completed the broken statement while he twisted the cork off the screw. He put down both the discarded cork and the opener and then poured the wine.

"Yeah, and even though you were gone, you kind of lingered. He said he always felt like I was only half present, only half interested in our relationship, but thought if he loved me enough he could make me whole, and that he would eventually win me over." I picked up a cup and took a long drink and continued, "He told me today, that he felt like there were always three of us in it, and that he could never compete against the ghost of Edward."

Edward picked up his red cup, lifted his face to look at me, and I watched as his lips twitched, hiding a smile.

"Then he mumbled something about the ghost being hard enough, but now he didn't have a chance in hell if he was competing against flesh and blood."

He snorted a laugh into his wine and smiled at me, smug and satisfied that Jake had finally conceded.

"He was right, you know." I slowly swirled the wine in my cup and said, "I was only ever really half there. But not now."

"No?"

"No. You're back and we're together again, and I'm all in."

"All in," he said quietly. He never took his eyes off me as he raised his glass in salute and took a drink.

I tipped my head and my glass in his direction and on trembling legs, moved to stand beside him. "Just before I left him, he asked me a question though."

"What was that?" he asked looking over the edge of that damn red solo cup as he took another drink.

I took a long drink, swallowed it with a gulp and hedged on my reply.

"C'mon, Bella, what did he ask?" Edward slid closer and put his arm behind me, resting his palm against the countertop.

I thought my heart would pound out of my chest. My fingers ran nervously around the grooves of the cup in my hand as I said, "He asked, 'Do you love him?'"

"What was your answer?" he asked looking down in his own cup before he turned over his shoulder to look at me.

"I said, 'yes'."

Edward turned to me, put his cup on the counter and then took mine from me. He reached up and took my face in his hands. He kissed me well and good and then, rather that pulling away from me completely, he simply dropped his chin and held my face so that our foreheads were touching.

Edward stood up straight and let his hands slip slowly down the length of my arms. He looked at me with complete adoration as he threaded his fingers in mine.

I took a deep breath and with absolute sincerity in my voice I said. "I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too, Bella," he replied simply. "I always have."

My nerves were shot and my emotions were running high. Tears pricked at my eyes as I laughed - partly in relief but mostly in the sheer joy at our confessions.

Edward laughed with me, and keeping our hands bound together he raised them up so he could kiss the back of each of my hands.

I wrenched my hands free and kind of jumped at him, throwing my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. "I love you, I love you, I love you," I said over and over again, hugging him so hard I felt his bones crack under my embrace.

Without a word, he wrapped his arms around me and began carrying me through the empty house. I kept my head buried in the crook of his neck, as we moved. I felt the pulse in his neck against my cheek and breathed in my most favorite smell in the world. Edward.

When he stopped moving, I lifted my head and looked around. He hadn't turned on the lights, but downtown provided enough artificial light through the massive windows that I could easily see a big, beautiful, bare bed set up and centered on a long, wide wall.

I clasped my hands behind his neck, looked from the bed to him and asked, "How did you –"

"I didn't," he interrupted. "Alice did."

I didn't know what to say as I untangled my legs from his waist and slid down to the floor. Edward kept his arms tight about me, staring at me, watching for my reply or more importantly the thumbs up.

"Pushy little bugger isn't she?" I bent over and pressed my hand into the mattress, assessing the possibility. "It's a nice bed, but there aren't any covers."

"Hah!" Edward barked with a laugh. He moved away from me to a closet door just a few feet away. He opened the door and turned on the light revealing bags and bags filled with what I had to assume were linens and pillows for the bed.

The light from the open closet door cast a harsh stream of light across the black hardwood floor between us. Edward's form would have been in full shadow had it not been for the soft glow of the active city outside. As it were, a halo of light lit his auburn hair from behind and the ambient light that flooded the room lit his smiling face to perfection.

"Do you want to make the bed," I asked brushing the tips of my fingers across the top of the mattress, "Or should we just take the comforter to the living room?"

Edward had already tucked into the closet and started tossing about the shopping bags before I'd finished the question. "Living room!" he shouted as he rummaged through the bags.

I laughed at his enthusiasm, excused myself to the bathroom and told him I'd meet him there.

I looked in the mirror and wanted to cringe at the imperfections the harsh light of the bathroom illuminated, but I was too happy to be bothered by it. The adrenaline and emotion that pumped through my veins blurred my critical eye as I stared back at my reflection and none of it mattered. I turned my head and inspected the purple-ish love bite mark on my neck. I ran my hand across the bruised bit of skin and couldn't help but laugh.

I splashed a bit of cold water on my face, smoothed out my hair and my clothes, all the while eyeing the girl with the silly grin on her face in the mirror. After a decade long ache for him, feeling sorry for myself and chastising myself for making bad choices in men, I had finally gotten it right. I was in love and felt loved in return. He was waiting for me. He wanted me, he loved me and nothing else mattered.

The house was dark and quiet as I walked back to him, except for the light from the windows and a new, unexpected glow from the living room. The sound of my shoes on the floor seemed obtrusive so I stopped to take them off. When I got to the edge of the kitchen, I saw his shoes discarded and lined up neatly against the foot of the island so I put mine beside them.

A low burning fire was lit in the fireplace and Edward was standing in the middle of the living room drinking from his red plastic cup. He bent over something in his hand and then pointed his hand toward the great wall of shelves and cabinets. Suddenly the soft piano intro of John Legend's "This Time," gently broke the silence.

"Fancy," I said, startling him as he took a sip of wine.

"Evidently, the previous owner was a bit of a technological genius and the whole house is wired and programmed to this one remote," he said holding up a small black controller. He put the remote down on the fireplace mantle, picked up my little red cup and turned towards me. "All I had to do was plug in my iPod."

"That's convenient," I said as I descended the four steps that led to the soft, white carpet and to Edward.

He handed me my wine as I surveyed the set up. Wine bottle on the mantle, new red comforter spread out on the floor, and his contribution to the condom stash in a neat pile next to it.

We looked at each other over the rims of our Solo cups, our eyes blazing. My body was warm, but it wasn't because of the fire. I was nervous, but hopeful that the wine would calm me as I drained the glass and put the empty cup on the mantle. Edward laughed and then did the same.

He reached up with one hand and pushed my hair behind my shoulder, resting the palm of his hand against my neck. His eyes drifted to where his thumb brushed against the tender spot on my neck while his left hand settled on my hip, pulling me closer. "I love you."

I stepped into him, circled my arms around his waist, and pressed my body against his. "Say it again."

He leaned forward and kissed me softly. He closed his eyes and nuzzled his nose against mine and whispered, "I love you."

We stood there in the soft warmth and light of the fire kissing and feeling and touching. He broke away from my lips and ran his hands from my hips, up my sides, across my ribs, forcing my arms above my head, pulling the hem of my shirt up and off as he moved. He traced the delicate lines of my bra with his fingers, only teasing my breasts as he watched my skin react and go all goose bumpy under his touch. His hands spread across my ribcage, big and strong on my torso and then he bent to kiss my neck, chest and the tops of my breasts holding me still against his lips.

Unable to endure the slow torture anymore, I placed my hands on the side of his face and pulled him back into a kiss. I reached for his shirt and began tugging and grasping the cotton, trying to pull it off. He pulled away from me, and then reached up and behind his head, to pull his t-shirt off. He stood shirtless in front of me staring desperately at me as I unbuttoned my jeans. He reached out and put his hand on my hip as I shimmied out of my jeans and steadied me as I stepped free of them.

I stepped closer to him, pressing my body against his and kissed him slowly. I took control of the pace, kissing him slow and deep as I let my hands explore his chest. My fingers circled his nipples slowly and then I let my hand slide down his stomach, settling on the warm, restricted bulge in his jeans. I rubbed him with the palm of my hand and the breath went completely out of his kiss for a moment, but returned passionately when he put his hand over my own and increased the pressure of my strokes.

I stopped kissing him and watched his face as I touched him. His eyes were closed, he roughly ran both of his hands through his hair and then he slowly opened his eyes and looked at me. He watched me as I knelt in front of him and bit his bottom lip when I began unbuckling his belt. I looked up at him as I unbuttoned his pants, and he ran a gentle hand through my hair. I eased his jeans down and tossed them aside when he stepped out of them. His erection pressed against the cotton of his boxers in front of me, and again I looked up at him as I slid my fingers between the elastic of his shorts and his skin before guiding them down his fine, toned legs.

I started to run my hands on the outside of his shins and up his thighs when he abruptly dropped to his knees in front of me. He took me in his arms and kissed me deeply while he effortlessly unclasped my bra and pulled the straps down my arms, casting it aside with a flick of his wrist as he continued to kiss me.

My nipples hardened as they brushed against the warmth of his chest. My body ached for him, and I pressed into him pulling my arms tight around his shoulders. He bent his head, kissing across my neck, collarbone and shoulders as his hands slipped over the curve of my hips, dipping his long fingers between my pink, lace trimmed panties and my backside. The heat of his touch on my bare skin and the strength of his erection pressed against my stomach made me gasp.

"I want you," I said hoarsely as I buried my head in shoulder and threaded my fingers in his hair.

Edward's body dipped slightly in front of me and I felt his forearm at the back of my legs. He picked me up in his arms and in a low, gravelly voice said, "I've never wanted anything more in my entire life."

He turned so that he could lay me down on the comforter and then carefully balanced the weight of his body above me with his hips firmly nestled between my legs. He kissed me and then cupped my left breast in his hand, squeezing me gently. He shifted against me, pressing more warm skin down on my belly and thighs as he moved to take the nipple of the breast he held in his hand in his mouth. I moaned quietly and ran my fingers through his hair, tugging at him as he continued to kiss and tease me.

My legs moved slowly up and down against his thighs and hips as he kneaded and kissed me and then slowly he moved to kiss me further down across my stomach. His eyes were fixed on mine as he knelt between my legs and hitched his hands behind my knees pushing them up. He leaned over me again placing one soft kiss just above my panty line before he slipped his fingers under the elastic. I lifted my hips so that he could pull my panties under my backside and then brought my knees together and pulled them to my chest. Edward slipped my underwear off my feet and then wrapped his hands around my ankles guiding my legs back to the floor on either side of him.

He rose up on his knees and crawled back up to me, and leaned in to kiss me. I put my hands on his forearms, running them up to his shoulders and back down to his wrists as he kissed me. He dropped down to balance on one elbow and ran a single finger from the hollow at my neck, between my breasts, down my stomach and then turned his hand to gently dip between my legs.

I moaned loudly, my arms seized around his neck and a shiver shot down my spine when he made contact.

"I don't think I can wait any longer, Bella," he said against my ear in a voice thick with lust.

"I don't want you to," I squeaked out as his fingers gently stroked me.

He pressed up on his arms above me and reached for one of the condoms.

He sat back on his heels, kneeling between my legs as he put the condom wrapper to his lips and tore the foil packet with his teeth. I drew my knees up with my feet pressed flat against the floor, my fingers digging into the fleshy part of my thighs as I watched him roll the condom on. A tremor of anxiety, fear and anticipation crashed over my entire body. Edward put his hands on my trembling knees and asked, "Are you okay?"

My lips quivered as I replied, "I'm fine. I'm just nervous."

"That makes two of us," he said rubbing my thighs, gently reassuring me. "Bella, are you sure?"

I bit my lip, nodded quickly and reached for him. "I'm sure."

He slowly crawled up the length of my body planting his hands firmly on either side of me and kissed me long and hard. I pulled my knees up high around him, offering him a better position. I took a quick nervous breath through my nose and he groaned into my mouth when we came into contact with each other. He concluded the kiss with several soft pecks, and we looked into each others eyes, both of us knowing that ten years of 'what ifs' were about to be reconciled if not erased all together.

Edward's eyes were locked on mine as he reached between us and positioned himself, gently pressing the tip of his erection into me. He placed his hand back flat against the floor beside me and kissed me once more. He told me he loved me before he slowly pressed his hips forward. I gasped and he groaned when he pushed through me, dropping his head and then looking back at me with his jaw clenched tight. His eyes were closed and a tight wrinkle knit across his brow when he pulled back and slowly thrust forward a little further.

"Oh God, Bella," he growled as pushed into me again.

He kissed me again, over and over.

Edward was slow and gentle, going deeper and deeper with every push, but allowing me to adjust to him before he pulled out and pushed back in. With one great, slow thrust, he buried himself completely in me, and I drew in a sharp breath between my teeth. I tried to steady my breathing but I could do little more than take in short, shallow gasps of air.

"Stay…right there, stay there," I squeaked, my breath so ragged and irregular that I barely got the words out.

His opened his eyes to look at me and his jaw relaxed. He licked his lips and then bent to kiss me. "Is this okay? Are you...Oh God, Bella..."

"Its good," I said as I lifted my head to kiss him. "Just…stay…let me feel you."

My hands clutched his back just above the curve of his butt and held him close to me and squeezed him inside me. Edward groaned as he shifted his position and let the weight of his body press against mine. With his elbows planted on either side of my head, he slid his forearms under my shoulder blades, wrapping his hands over my shoulders and kissed me hard.

I curled my knees and lifted my hips up against him, my body giving him the sign that I was ready. His body responded, pulling almost his entire length out and then in again a few times before he found a slow and intense rhythm with his hips.

Edward moved slowly at first, bending to kiss me as he made love to me. We were both quiet, except for our exaggerated breath and the muted sound our bodies made as he rocked against me.

Soon he had pressed up on his hands again and began to move faster, and I could see the intensity in his face and the chords on his neck strain as he worked harder.

And then I felt it.

The tightening spring tingled low in my stomach. I had been so happy that we were finally together, but because of this new somewhat surprising development, I was freakin' enthusiastic. I gripped his forearms and did my best to match the rhythm of his movement with the rise of my hips, which only drove him to pump faster.

"Oh! Ed! Ward!" I stuttered, each syllable punctuated by his every thrust. "Ooohh…"

Edward was breathing through his nose and expressed something between a low whine and a grunt with every press. He pumped too fast and too hard for me to keep up, so I just pulled my knees as close to my body as I could and tilted my hips. His persistent drive and the new hip position gave me a sensation I'd never felt before. I could feel the heat and the coil in the center of my body as it continued to twist. I closed my eyes and tossed my head back so completely lost in what I was feeling, in what Edward was making me feel. I couldn't help the strange staccato whine that poured out of me, and I couldn't hold back the emotion that came along with it.

Edward moved hard and fast above an din me. He changed his body position so that he was half collapsed on me, and then he buried his face against my shoulder. His words were sharp and unsteady as he said, 'So…close. So…mmmm."

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders holding him as close to me as possible, my body curled tight underneath him and the spring in my gut ready to be sprung. The intensity of the moment, our moment together, overwhelmed me and felt the sting of tears in my eyes as I clung to him.

"So close…ung…Bell…uh...UH!" His words after that were less coherent but much louder as his body seized deep inside of me and the tremors of release shook him.

Once released from the initial grip of his orgasm, he circled his hips against me and pressed hard into me, setting off a new wave of sensation. His entire body trembled, stiffened, stilled and then completely relaxed on top of me.

I ran my hands gently across his wide shoulders and down his sides as he began to emerge from his brief sex coma. He kissed my shoulder and my neck before he balanced on his elbows, moving some of his weight away from me. When he looked at me there was a look of wild satisfaction on his face. His face was flushed, his eyes were dilated and glassy and his mouth was pulled into a sexy smile. He kissed me and then lifted his face to look at me just as the tears slowly spilled out of the corners of my eyes.

"Oh God, did I hurt you?" he asked frantically, dipping his head again to look between us where we were still joined and then snapped back up at me. He pulled out of me, discarded the condom and quickly turned his attention back to me. "Are you okay?"

"I wouldn't be smiling if you'd hurt me," I replied as another errant, ill timed crocodile deal slipped out of the corner of my eye and spilled into my ear.

"Why are you crying?" He lay beside me, kissed me and then pulled back to look at me with a look full of love and confusion.

"I have no idea," I said with a laugh. "I'm happy, I promise."

"You're not hurt?"

"No."

Edward lay on his side next to me propped up on his elbow, his hand gently running across my stomach. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm overwhelmed, I'm…"

"Disappointed?" he asked and then his eyes flew open wide and alarm flashed across his face. "Oh God, you are disappointed, aren't you? You didn't…I didn't make you…shit!"

"No! I'm not disappointed," I argued with a laugh. "It's okay."

"Its definitely not –"

"It is, now stop." I wiped away another errant tear, and stretched my arms and my legs languidly and said, "That was the best sex of my entire life, with or without a trip to Ohio."

"Hmphf," he harrumphed shaking his head with his eyes downcast. "Still, I should have –"

"Stop," I interrupted him.

Edward's shoulder where he was balancing his weight sagged and dropped his head.

I turned on my side to face him and said, "It was amazing."

He lifted his head and his heartbreakingly sad eyes turned up to meet mine.

"_You_ were amazing. I felt things that I have never felt before," I said as I reached up to brush his hair along his forehead. "No man has ever loved me or touched me or made me feel the things that I feel when I'm with you."

A slight smile played on his lips. He put his hand on my hip and pulled me closer, parting my legs with his knee threading his legs around mine and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I snuggled against his chest and swirled my fingers along the pattern of soft hair on his chest. "If it makes you feel any better, I was _almost_ there."

"Gah!" Edward let out an exasperated sigh and said, "That makes me feel worse."

"It shouldn't."

"But it does."

"Maybe it is me. Maybe I'm not any good at this."

"Not any good?" he asked with a snort. "You drove me to complete distraction, Bella, not to mention served me a life altering orgasm. Not any good. Pfft!"

"Life altering, huh?" I asked lifting my head so I could look at him.

Edward closed his eyes slowly and he squeezed my shoulders. "Yes."

"Well, we've got all night, a box of condoms plus a couple of spares." I circled a feather light touch around his nipple and smiled. "Maybe I just need to practice."

"I think we can manage that," he said with a playful growl and a push as he rolled me onto my back. His hand brushed against the swell of my breast and pinched my nipple. He rolled the tender pink bud between his fingers with just the right pressure, making me arch up off the floor against him. "But first, I think I need to take you on a little trip."

"Oh?" I squeaked with curiosity.

"Hi," I he said in a thick, sexy voice before he bent to take my hardened nipple in his mouth. His hand ran down the length of my stomach and with gentle fingers he touched me where I was still wet and ready for him.

"Ohhhhh…"

**E/N:** It only took 24 chapters for a little lovin'…touchin'…ska-weezin'. I learned from the best!! _: texbelle winks at VJGM:_ The anticipation has been so high and so torqued up that I only hope that some of you got what you wanted. If any of you non-reviewers were ever going to comment, now would be the time.

I make a couple of music references in this submission and I can't let this opportunity pass to tell you about them or to allow them to be idly overlooked. #1. _**Bennie and the Jets**_**, by Elton John**. Youtube has an awesome live performance of this from Soul Train The best EJ song ever – its in my top ten songs of all time. #2**. John Legend, **_**This Time**_. Gah. Just gah! This little gem can't be missed. It's a total Edward song.

Thanks to everyone who has been with me all this time and a big welcome and thanks to the new folks. There was a big surge in readership thanks in no small part to WhoKnows, Nina and the Pervs for posting a gushing recommendation for Resto on the Perv Pack Smut Shack blog. Thanks, girlies!!

If anyone is going to TwiCon – be sure to look for me on some of the fanfic panels and in the vendor hall with WeBook Apparel (www(dot) webookapparel(dot)com). Be sure to drop by and say hey!!


	25. Never Felt This Way

A/N: Everybody just go ahead and wipe your shocked little smirks right off your precious little faces. I don't know that I've updated so fast since, hell, ever? It's because Edward has been whispering in my ear for two weeks straight and I'm heading off to Dallas and TwiCon next week and I knew if I didn't get this done, it would be an eternity before I had the chance. Enjoy it, chickens.

I have to take a minute to thank everyone for the great comments you guys send up. I love reading every single one of them and appreciate the time you all take to write and submit them. Thank you!!

The chappie song is _Never Felt This Way_, by Brian McKnight. It's an oldie from the 90s but so very Edward-y. You can find it on youtube and if you want to check it. You know you want to.

Tigress - this too shall pass. Katydid – I love that you texted me before AND after watching HP6 about the update. Love you guys!

Disclaimer: The initials are MS not SM. I don't own squat.

* * *

EPOV

I woke up with a start. I jerked my head up and looked around, completely disoriented and my head was foggy. I didn't immediately recognize where I was as I rubbed my eyes and groggily tried to identify the damned awful noise that had ripped me from my nap.

The annoying rattle and buzz broke the stillness twice more before I realized it was my phone vibrating across the countertop in the kitchen. There was an odd echo, a fire, stiff comforter, music, Seattle to my right and Bella snoring lightly at my side…total recall. It was my new house and my love was asleep beside me. The phone could dance across that countertop all night long for all I cared, I wasn't going anywhere.

Bella lay prone on her stomach next to me, one arm curled under her head, her face turned towards me with her cheek pressed against her forearm. She held my hand loosely between us. Her lips were bee-stung, puffy – likely from my scruff and definitely from all the kissing – and parted slightly, a soft, feminine purr escaping with every breath. Her silky brown hair cascaded down the smooth porcelain skin of her back and every inch of her exposed backside was alight in the glow from the fire. God, I loved watching her sleep.

It was infinitely easier for me to watch her here, in my new place, what with the whole of downtown Seattle lighting up the room. My insomniatic mind and body had never been so thoroughly distracted since Bella and I started sharing a bed. Most nights I watched her restless body tense and twitch, anticipating the next outburst that might spark an actual conversation about that bastard James. But tonight she was peaceful and rested more soundly than I'd ever noticed before.

My eyes moved lazily up and down her exposed body. She'd never be able to bear this kind of unapologetic ogling, without embarrassment, so I thanked the heavens for the opportunity and took my time committing every freckle, perfect imperfection and curve to memory. The gentle swell of her breast pressed hard against the floor, the delicate arch of her spine and the curve of her bum were well worth remembering tonight. Her skin was so pale, smooth, and enticing that I reached out my hand and ghosted my middle finger down her back and back up again, gently sweeping her hair away, exposing her shoulder to me. She barely even stirred at my touch.

I twirled a soft brown curl around my finger and watched the calm of her face as she slept.

How had I stayed away so long? How had I ignored the tug of my heart and the cries for her so deep in my soul that it very nearly physically hurt to be without her? How daft could one man be? Plenty, I suppose which is why it took so damn long to find my way back. I kicked myself in the ass for the lost time, but one thing I knew for sure; I'd never be that daft again, and I'd spend the rest of my life making up for it.

I had been so completely restored the moment she came to me in my parent's kitchen on that Saturday morning in Forks. I couldn't be bothered with the knowledge that she was there because Alice had snatched her out of Charlie's house, because I understood the importance and the significance of the step. The fact that she walked those four or five feet towards me, spoke volumes. It was when I knew she'd have me again and that my love was hers and was _for_ her…always.

A slight smile twitched on her lips, and she mumbled something inaudible.

I snorted a soft laugh, gently kissed her shoulder and rolled away from her. I walked naked through the empty house to the bathroom. The whole four minutes I was away from her, my brain buzzed with thoughts of her. Would I always be this consumed? I sure hoped so.

I looked in the mirror as I washed my hands and face and then ran my wet hands through my hair. The muscles in my lower back and shoulders were a little tight but in the most wonderful way. My eyes were clear and had a spark that I hadn't seen in ages. She'd brought me back to life…to love. I smiled at my reflection and turned off the light.

When I got back to the living room, I began to pick up the remnants of our hasty dinner. I gathered up chopsticks, empty boxes, the second empty bottle of wine and two discarded condom wrappers. I tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake Bella, using one of the plastic shopping bags as receptacle for the trash and then checked my phone for the message that I knew would be waiting for me.

Four missed calls…two of them were from London and the others from Victoria. Damn.

I stepped down into the living room and stood in front of the window looking down at the busy city streets below as I listened intently to the messages. I was in the middle of texting Victoria instructions to manage the perceived crisis when Bella's beautifully sleepy voice pulled me from my phone.

"Hey."

I looked over at her to find her propped up on her elbows, looking over her shoulder at me, with her eyes drawn into that precise and familiar, "I-just-woke-up" squint.

"Hey there, just one second," I replied as I finished pecking out my text. I could hear her rustling around on the floor. "Sorry, its work stuff. Give me two seconds."

Bella walked up behind me, kissed me between my shoulder blades and then pressed her warm cheek against my skin. "You're naked."

"I am. And so are you."

"True, but at least I'm covered up," she said with a raspy giggle. "Aren't you afraid that you're giving your new neighbors a bit of a show?"

I pressed the send button, turned to take her in my arms and said, "Nah, a show for one is all I'm really concerned about."

She got her feet tangled in the fabric of the comforter she had wrapped tight around her and stumbled against me with a low, raspy giggle. She kicked her feet free of the mass of fabric pooled on the floor and snuggled against my chest.

"I can't sleep here," she said with a yawn.

"You mean you don't want to spend the night on the floor like a couple of refugees?" I said with a chuckle as I ran my hands up and down her back. "I think it's kind of romantic."

"Oh, it WAS romantic, but now it's just uncomfortable," she said as she curled her shoulders forward, humming quietly and enjoying the feel of my hands rubbing her back.

"Well, we can either make up the bed and stay, or we can go to my crappy little corporate apartment – "

"I want to go home," she interrupted. She pushed away from my chest and looked up at me. "And I want you to come with me. And I want you to check out of that crappy apartment and come live with me until your house is finished."

"Oh, really?"

"Mmm hmm," she hummed and then she rose up on her toes and kissed me. "What time is it?"

I held my hand up over her shoulder, turned my phone over and read the display, "11:11."

She carelessly rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes and mumbled, trying to stifle another yawn, "Aren't you supposed to make a wish?"

"Some people say that, others say it's a magic time, or a wake up call, or I've even heard that it's our spirit guides trying to tell us something," I offered

"Spirit guides are telling us we need to go to my place," she said as she snuggled back into my chest and in my embrace.

"And shack up together, apparently."

"Apparently."

I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tighter. "Did you really just ask me to move in with you?"

"I did," she said quietly. "What do you think?"

"I say yes. Of course I say yes," I said as I rocked us gently from side to side in time with Ella Fitzgerald as she sang, 'Our Love is Here to Stay.' "Are you sure? I don't want to rush you into anything."

She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and said, "I love you, Edward, and you're not rushing me. I don't want to have to do anything more than roll over and spoon with you after I tell you good night ever again."

"I love you, too, Bella," I said as I bent to kiss her.

She wrapped her arms and the blanket around my waist, pressing her warm, naked body against mine and kissed me back.

I held her face in my hands and kissed her twice more before I asked, "Will you move with me when this place is finished?"

She nodded and smiled back at me. "I'll give my 30 day notice tomorrow, if that's what you want."

"Yes, it's what I want. Let's go home."

We talked as we dressed and decided that I would move my things over after work the next day. I didn't really have much more than the few boxes that had arrived from London and my clothes, so it would be simple really. I could stuff everything in the Volvo and be moved in before we had to meet everyone for dinner at seven.

I extinguished the fire, retrieved my iPod, tossed the comforter on the bare bed and gathered up the left over sushi and cheese, and then we were headed out the door. Of course it was raining, so I put on my jacket and felt around the pockets for my keys.

"Oh! I totally forgot," I said as I pulled out a plain, white, square box with a red ribbon tied around it, and held it in the palm of my hand for Bella. "I have something for you."

A smile played on her lips and she scrunched up her nose as she looked from my hand to my face. "A present?"

"Open it," I encouraged her.

She situated the bag on her shoulder, and I took the small plastic bag from her hand so she could open the box.

"Edward, you didn't have to get me anything."

"It's just something small, something I'd been meaning to give you for a while now," I said as I watched her pull the tail of the red ribbon. Once the ribbon was free, she gingerly took the lid off the box and let out a small gasp.

"Where did you - how did you find this? I lost this," she stuttered, staring intently at the contents of the box. Her face turned up to meet my gaze and her eyes were as wide as saucers. "This is my necklace isn't it?"

"It is," I said with a nod.

"Edward. How?"

I set down the bags and reached for her hand, taking the box from her as I explained, "Emmett picked me up from the airport in Port Angeles, and when I was getting my bags out of the backseat, this little thing had attached itself to my jacket."

Bella looked at me intently as I took the necklace out of the box and continued with my story.

"Emmett said it was yours, and I meant to give it back to you sooner, but never found the right opportunity. Turn around," I said as I unclasped the tiny closure and held it up for me to put it on her. "And then I noticed you clawed at your neck when you were nervous or anxious. When I asked you about it, I realized it was this you were searching for."

"But –"

"Shhh…" I hushed her as I closed the clasp and put my hands on her shoulders to turn her back around. I adjusted the pendant so that it was centered and looked back up at her. "There. It's perfect."

Her hand went to the necklace and she tucked her chin tight to her chest trying to look down at the pendant. "What did you do?"

"The diamond? I added it in hopes that your little security blanket there might have a new purpose."

A small wrinkle knit across her brow as she looked at me, shaking her head back and forth. "I don't understand."

I ran my hands from her shoulders to her elbows and back again as I spoke. "When you reach up and rub that pendant, I want you to feel something else between your thumb and your index finger. I want it to mean something else. I want you to take comfort and be hopeful rather than anxious when your fingers reached for it. I want the raised roundness of the setting and the smoothness of the diamond to remind you that I was by your side now, and that whatever it was that made you anxious or worried, wouldn't be so bad because we have each other now."

She rubbed the pendant instinctively, picking at the bezel setting that held the tiny stone in the cursive curl of the 'B' with her nail. . "Edward, I – "

I interrupted her again. "I know you don't like presents or being doted on, but it's a tiny diamond. More like diamond dust, really. I hope you don't mind," I said almost apologetically.

"You didn't have to do this," she said placing her hands on my chest and closing the distance between us.

"I wanted to."

"You're crazy for putting a diamond on a twenty dollar silver pendant, but I love it," she said as she turned one hand back to the pendant. Her eyes closed slowly and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as her fingers adjusted to the new sensation and the new significance.

I placed a finger under her chin and brought her gaze back to me. "I love you, Bella Swan. And if a tiny, speck of a diamond on a twenty dollar piece of silver is even the slightest reminder, then I'm not crazy."

Bella tilted her chin up and kissed me softly. "Let's go home."

I wiggled my eyebrows at her and took her hand.

When we got her apartment, she set the automatic coffee maker while I readied the bed. We brushed our teeth, and I put my toothbrush in its new place next to hers in the little ceramic holder. She washed her face and put on lotion, set the alarm and then crawled into bed. We made love again, and both reveled in the fact that no one was leaving. We said good night, and I curled my tired body around hers and held her close as the sweet exhaustion consumed us both and sent us to sleep.

A few hours later, I woke up and watched her until the sun came up.

* * *

**End Notes**: For all of you who've asked about the necklace…there you have it. I told you I didn't forget about it!! I'm so in love with Edward right now, it's not even funny. YOU?

Remember if you're going to TwiCon be sure to find me and say HEY!! I'll be on a few fanfic panels and will be hanging out in the WeBook Apparel booth in the vendor hall.


	26. She Sells Sanctuary

**A/N: Thanks for reading and for all the awesome reviews. I got to meet a lot of readers at TwiCon and at the TwiTour in New Jersey – texbelle waives at new friends – and am damn near giddy to have your continued support and kind words. You guys rock! I hope you're ready for some Emmett meringue? Fluffy and lemony, just the way it should be when it comes to Emmett. Enjoy it. **

**I listened to The Cult on repeat while I wrote this chappie. Fire Woman, Wild Flower and She Sells Sanctuary were the songs that I seemed to go back to most often. They're all available on youtube, be sure to cue up She Sells Sanctuary first though, as it's the chapter namesake. **

**To Tigress and Katydid – I love you guys! **

**PSA: Friends don't let friends steal other people's work. Just say no to plagiarism kids. Seriously…just say no. **

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns any Twilight characters that may appear in this story. The remainder is my original work. Copyright 2008 by the author writing under the pen name, texbelle. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization. **

**

* * *

**

Chapter 26: She Sells Sanctuary

EmPOV

For most of the teachers at McClure Middle School there was almost nothing worse than being assigned lunch duty on a Friday. Being Coach Cullen, and the fact that I walked like a giant among the pre-pubescent, I definitely had it easier than others, but it still sucked.

I really liked my job. I loved teaching history and coaching football, soccer and La Crosse. The kids were great because they were still young enough to think I could teach them a thing or two, and they weren't eaten up with teenage angst yet. The boys thought I was cool, and the girls got all shy and giggly around me, but they all had a healthy respect for my authority, not to mention my size scared the bejeezus out of them. We didn't have a title winning athletic program, but we always made it to the first playoff round, so at least they got a little taste of victory. The district had asked me on several occasions to move to the high school program and coach the older kids, but I always said "no." I'd take a rag tag bunch of bad news bears I might actually be able to affect and who still thought it was more important to have fun than a team of cocky high school kids any day.

I was escorting little Garrett Wilkes, a brave but stupid sixth grade Casanova away from an annoyed gaggle of eighth grade girls when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"But, Coach, I was just talking to them," Garrett protested as he squirmed under my hand.

"Ah – young Garrett, you have much to learn. You think I just ruined your game back there, but what I really did was save your little butt," I said as I led him away to safety and back to his seat.

"Huh?"

"When one girl gives you the evil eye, you should back away slowly," I explained. "When they've got you surrounded like that and you feel 'em closing in, you should run."

"But, Coach –"

I carefully dropped Garrett back down in his seat and patted him on the shoulder. "Trust me, kid, I know from what I speak."

"Damn," Garrett grumbled under his breath.

I crossed my arms and raised an intimidating eyebrow at him at which he went white as a ghost as he stared back at me. "Eat your lunch, Garrett. Leave the girls alone, alright?"

"Yes, sir," he said in defeat and then resigned himself to his crust free peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I backed away from Garrett and stood against the wall in the back of the bustling cafeteria to check my phone. After glancing around the room for any signs of trouble and finding no immediate threats, I read the text message.

_Caught an earlier flight. Will be in Seattle by 3. – R_

Shit. _BUZZ._

_Need to come get the Jeep. – A_

Son of a - _BUZZ_.

_Come straight home after school. I'll wait for you there. – R_

Fuck.

Rosalie and Jasper weren't supposed to land until sometime after five, which would have given me plenty of time to get home, shower, get flowers, pick up Alice and get to the airport. The change of plans made me excited and agitated all at the same time. I'd never be able to reign in the distraction now. When the clock struck three this afternoon, I'd be a twitchy mother fucker just knowing that her sexy self was on Washington soil. Alice driving the Jeep was fine, but that meant I'd have to drive her tiny little Barbie car home. Well, at least it was fast, so I could manage.

I texted Alice back telling her to meet me in sixth period gym, and although lunch wasn't quite over, I was done with lunch duty. It was only the second week of school, so they hadn't gone completely bat shit, yet. Besides, it wasn't as if the foundation of the institution would crumble at my feet if I turned a blind eye to the controlled chaos to get my plans in check and obsess about the fact that my exceptionally sexy, long legged, beauty of a girlfriend would be touching down in – I looked at my watch to check the time – less than two and a half hours.

_Alice has a key – I'll come as fast as I can – EMC_

I only had to survive one more history class, one P.E. period, and then football practice. If I could just get through nearly forty minutes on the social, political, economical and cultural impacts that the impending War for Independence had on the thirteen colonies, I'd be home free. Gym class on Fridays was little more than a dodge ball free for all and if they got too squirrelly, I'd just make them run lines until their little lungs exploded and their spindly legs gave out.

The kids were settling in their seats and I was just about to call the class to order when she texted me back.

_God, I hope not. It's been 2 weeks. I don't want you to come until I do. – R_

Oh hell.

_Deal. – EMC_

The kids and I suffered through the lesson and sixth period P.E. was cake; mostly because they were too busy pummeling each other to notice my distraction. I heard nothing but the hollow, gushy sound of the red rubber ball as it made contact with the wall or better yet a slow moving target, which was almost always immediately followed by a muffled yelp or whine. I saw nothing but Rosalie.

Above the shouts and general malay of the game, I heard the quick and hard click of something other than the familiar squeak of a rubber sole shoe on the varnished floor.

There in my line of refocused attention, Alice was sassing her way across the gym, her skirt swishing around her amongst a flurry of adolescent boys and flying red balls. I was immediately and momentarily panicked, afraid that she'd get hurt, but then oddly amused. It was the damndest thing I'd ever seen. Balls were whizzing through the air all around her, and she just kept marching towards me as if those damn red balls were none of her concern. Her path was only altered once when she side stepped a sweaty Riley Fraser.

Amusement turned back to fear for her as I stood up on the wooden bleachers and held my hands up to tell her to stop, but she stayed the course. Once the boys realized her presence, all the frantic activity of the game ground to a halt, balls dropped to the floor or were held tight in the grip of grubby 12 year old hands as they all stopped to gawk. Alice was teeny, but she was pretty freakin' spectacular – a fact that couldn't escape even the most dodge ball crazed brain of a seventh grade boy.

"Hi, boys! Sorry to interrupt your little game," Alice said as she patted a slack jawed, wide eyed, Seth Clearwater on the head as she passed.

The boys were shocked out of their trance when Sam Ulley launched a red rocket across the gym that hit tough guy Paul Meraz square in the gut with the dreaded, hollow, rubbery sonar *ping* that only those balls could make.

"You're out!" Sam shouted, and Paul fell backwards on his back holding his belly and rolling around dramatically. The whole gym erupted around her again, but Alice just laughed and only ducked slightly, picking up her pace until she was in the clear.

I stepped down from the bleachers and glared at her.

"What?"

"Would you take a look at what you just walked through?" I demanded, flailing my arm towards the pre-teen violence of the now fully re-engaged game. "You could have gotten hurt prancing through that shit storm just now."

"But I didn't get hurt," she replied calmly.

"No, you didn't, but you could have," I said glowering at her. "Do you know how much it hurts when one of those things makes contact?"

"Are you finished?"

"Almost. Jesus, Alice, those little fuckers leave a helluva mark. I'd hate to think –"

"Quit being such a papa bear, Emmett," she said as she rolled her eyes at me. "And take your hands off your hips. I am impervious to your intimidation tactics so you can just save all that macho bullshit for the kiddos."

I hadn't even noticed I _had _my hands on my hips, but at the realization, I dropped my hands and shoved them into my pockets. "You scared me, that's all."

"Psh, I'm fine."

"Yeah, well you're lucky is what you are," I said with a sigh.

Alice held up a ring of keys delicately pinched between her index finger and her thumb and said, "She's parked in the teacher lot on the far East side."

I held out my hand palm up, and she dropped the keys into my hand. "So what changed? Why did they take an earlier flight?" I asked as I fiddled with my own keys, turning the ring so I could separate my Jeep keys from the rest.

"There was availability on the earlier flight, and Rosalie's premiere status got them first class upgrades on a more open plane, so they took it," Alice explained.

"Dammit. I had plans," I said as I handed over my keys.

"Tell me about it. Do you know how this little deviation mucks with _my_ plans? Never mind my schedule?" she complained.

I looked at Alice as she was busy digging around in her giant tote bag of a purse, murmuring under her breath about her preparations. Some nonsense about pedicures and wax and exfoli-whatever, and I just had to laugh.

Without looking up at me, Alice poked around on her crackberry and said, "It's not funny."

Her telling me it wasn't funny made it even funnier. "Alice, it's fucking hysterical."

"Humpf," she replied in that acknowledging me without really acknowledging me kind of way.

I reached up and put my big hand around hers, covering the screen to her phone and forcing her to look at me.

"Would you listen to us? We're bitching and moaning about ruined plans when the fact of the matter is that none of this superfluous crap is going to matter once Rosalie and Jasper are here."

Her mouth twitched up at one corner and then she patted my hand holding hers with her free hand and said, "You're right. I know you're right. I just really wanted it all to be perfect."

"When you see each other it will be," I said with a wink.

She took a deep breath and dropped her phone back into the black hole of a bag of hers and relaxed just a little. "Thanks, Em. I better go."

"You better hurry; they land in 20," I said anxiously.

"I know, but add on another half hour for them to get through baggage claim," she replied as she looked at her watch. "I'll be right on time for curbside service."

"If you say so," I said with a chuckle.

Alice kissed me quickly on the cheek, and she turned to walk away, headed once again into the line of fire. "I do say so. Don't be late for dinner. Seven sharp!"

"Don't wreck my Jeep!" I walked behind her just a few steps and then stopped just on the edge of the game. I didn't let her get too far before I brought my whistle up to my lips and blew a couple of short blasts and shouted, "Hold up! Hold on to yer balls, fellas! Lady comin' through!"

I heard her giggle above all the rest of the shuffle as the boys did their best to shut it down. Every single adolescent in that gym watched her walk away, with a dream in his eye. One of the little smart asses even whistled at her.

She knew what kind of effect she was causing, so just as she reached the big double doors that led out of the gym, she turned and blew us all an exaggerated kiss and said, "Bye, boys!"

Embry Call was standing next to me, breathless and sweaty. Without turning his head away from the door as it swung shut, he asked, "Is she your girlfriend, Coach?"

I stared back in the same direction as the rest of them and said, "Nope."

His head swiveled slowly towards me, looking up at me like I was an idiot. "Why the hell not? She's hot!"

"Watch your mouth, Embry," I replied, over the laughter that erupted and echoed throughout the gym. "That's enough, heathens. Rack 'em and stack 'em, gents. If there is even one stray red rocket left in this gym, it'll be tetherball and badminton for a week."

I nearly bit a hole in my lip trying to keep the laughter in check as they scampered around the gym picking up all weapons of red destruction. I hoped like hell they'd gotten them all, because I sure as shit didn't want to be held to my word if they hadn't. Badminton sucked more than lunch duty.

I left my cell phone in the gym office during practice because I knew Rosalie would either call or text when she was on the ground. It wasn't that I didn't want to hear from her, because God knows, I did. Zoning out during dodge ball was one thing, not paying attention to 17 kids who thought flimsy football pads made them invincible on the practice field was something entirely different. Nope, I needed to focus on the little maniacs and do some coaching.

Practice was exactly the kind of distraction I'd needed. All there was left to do was to make sure everybody either got on the bus or got picked up. I had done my best to avoid the divorcees and the singles that were always out of their cars, all hooched up and parked in front of the pick up line. I smiled politely but kept my distance, but damn they were aggressive. I couldn't lie, a couple of them were definite MILFs, but like I said, I liked my job, and Rosalie would have me strung up by my nuts if I even thought about it. They were easy enough to ignore, but it was funny just the same.

I didn't even wait for the bus to pull away from the curb before I darted back inside. I flew around the office packing up my gear, a stack of papers to grade, shoving it all into my duffle bag, and then I was outta there. Even with the kids gone and nothing but a sprint across the parking lot and a stretch of about twelve miles between me and Rosalie, I waited to check my phone for messages.

I squeezed my 6'5" self into Alice's white Infiniti G37 Barbie car, cussing like a mother fucker. No one of my size – hell no – strike that, no one of any size except mini or Lilliputian should ever attempt such a thing. Even with the seat pushed all the way back, I felt like my knees were in my ears.

The muffled sound of my ringtone sent me into frenzy, digging in my bag and patting down pockets. Of course it was buried deep in the front pocket of my jeans, which made it nearly impossible to retrieve considering the cramped quarters.

Without reading the screen I flipped open the phone and answered.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked, like she always asked whenever she called me.

"I'm packed in Alice's car tighter than Denali's bar on cougar night, trying to get situated so I can drive home," I said as I pressed my heels against the floorboard trying to adjust myself. The cockpit on this ride was so small, even my nuts were squashed.

"Wow. Out of all the answers I anticipated, that wasn't even on the list," she said with a giggle.

"What's up?" I asked as I balanced the phone with one hand and fit the keys into the ignition with the other.

"Have they made it in yet?"

"I haven't heard otherwise." I adjusted the mirrors, steering wheel and the recline on the seat while I talked to her. "My instructions were to go straight home after school so hopefully Rosalie will be waiting for me when I get there."

"Are you excited?" she asked enthusiastically.

I stopped all my fidgeting, dropped a heavy hand onto the steering wheel and rolled my eyes as if she could see me. "What do you think, B?"

"I'll go out on a limb and say 'yes.'"

"Bella, can I talk to you later?"

"Oh sure," she said with understanding just like I knew she would. "I just wanted to check on you and tell you how happy I am for you."

I let out a sigh, shifted the car into reverse and said, "I'm happy for me too. I just want to get home."

"Go home, Em. I'll see you tonight."

"Yep," I said as I cranked the wheel using the palm of my hand to turn.

"Drive careful!"

"Later, B," I said quickly before I ended the call. I pulled to the edge of the parking lot and checked for texts or messages.

One missed call and one voice mail.

I pushed the button that took me to voice mail and I swear to God, got a chubby when I heard her voice.

_Alice and Jasper just dropped me off at your place – at least I think it's your place – it's a lot cleaner than when I was here last. Anyway, I'm here…waiting for you. Hurry home._

"I'm on my way, baby," I growled as I snapped the phone shut, tossed it onto the passenger seat and peeled out of the school parking lot like a bat out of Hell.

Nine minutes later I was parked and trying to unfold myself from the cramp confines of the smallest car ever made. I blew through the lobby of my building, took to the stairs, two at a time until I got to my floor and raced down the hall to my door.

She was on the other side – I could hear music and see her shadow as she moved inside through the crack at the bottom of the door. I couldn't make my hand work right, the keys just kept turning over and over in my hand as I tried to find the one that would make my whole fucking world right.

"Shit," I mumbled under my breath as I continued to struggle with the damn keys.

I heard the lock disengage and watched the knob turn slowly to the left and then there she was opening the door for me. A puff of air from the moving door blew her hair around on her shoulder and across her cheek.

"What took you so long?" she asked, a dead sexy smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"I came as fast as I could," I said between breaths.

She let out a sigh and said, "What did I tell you about that? Not without –"

I didn't let her finish as I stepped into her and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her hard up against me. "I know, not with out you," I all but growled. I dropped my bag and keys, pushed her back through the open door and then kicked the door shut behind us. And then I kissed her, hard, fast and hungry.

She stopped me suddenly, her breath uneven and heavy coming from between her puffy and parted lips. Her eyes were dark as she looked up at me through her eyelashes. She put her hands on my chest and shoved me hard against the door, pinning me with her body. She kissed me aggressively as she yanked at my shirt to un-tuck it.

"You smell like outside."

"You want me to take a shower? I'll be fast."

"No, and quit threatening me with that fast shit."

"Oh, that's no threat, babe. After two weeks and no sex, it's going to be fast alright, but it'll be damn good. Don't you worry."

"Who's worried?" Rosalie said quickly before she lunged forward and kissed me.

I kissed her back, matching her breathing, and the frantic and passionate rhythm, relieved that she felt the same kind of fire and need that I did. She didn't need or want me to be careful or slow, and good thing, too, because neither my brain nor my dick wanted any part of that. Need. Want. Fuck. Now.

Rosalie reached between us, grabbing and groping for my belt buckle. I pressed my shoulders flat against the wall and let her pull my hips forward so she could better manage my fly and let me loose. My hands slipped over her hips, her ass and down her thighs and then pushed up her skirt.

Gah.

"You're not…wearing…oh God," I stuttered, almost choking on the words.

"Surprise." Rosalie kept working the button and zipper on my stupid khaki pants, looked up at me with crazy, lust filled eyes and said, "I told you I'd be waiting for you. I just didn't tell you I'd be ready for you, too."

"God. Damn."

She leaned forward, reached into my pants and wrapped her hand around me and barely brushed her lips against mine. In a low, sexy voice she asked, "Are _you_ ready for _me_?"

It was like throwing gas on a mother fuckin' flame. I spun around on her with my dick still in her hand and slammed her against the door. The look on her face wasn't surprise, but instead, dangerous satisfaction.

I reached up and fumbled with the buttons on her blouse while I kissed and nipped at her neck.

"Just rip it, Emmett," she ordered.

I yanked the fabric apart, sending buttons flying. Rosalie gasped and her whole body arched against me. She hiked her skirt up around her waist, snaked her arms around my neck and with a swift jump wrapped her legs around me.

It wasn't until I felt her hot and slick against me that I realized I didn't have a condom. Well, I did, but not within arms reach. My in case of emergency stash was in the bathroom, and I didn't want to stop, but I had to.

I dropped my forehead to her shoulder, my tense body went limp and I growled with frustration.

"What? Why are you stopping?" she panted.

"Condom," I said, my own ragged breath matching hers.

"Forget it…IUD…two weeks ago. We're good," she said between breaths as she gripped my shoulders and moved against me.

"God, I love you."

I leaned in and kissed her greedy and hard, balancing her in my arms. She reached between us and took me hard and ready in her hand, guiding me to the sweet spot.

I took her hard and fast. It was rough and aggressive but not violent. It was greedy and desperate but not selfish. She moaned and groaned and even screamed as I pounded her. And when she came her whole body shook uncontrollably, her arms, legs clamping down on me like a vice. I buried my face into her neck and then fucking exploded.

We stayed dead still, locked together against the door, breathing heavy. Rosalie squeezed me from deep inside her with a warm, gentle pulse for what seemed like an eternity.

"I missed you," she said breaking our spent silence. She stroked my hair and I felt her breath warm and quick against my neck.

I raised my head, kissed her softly and said, "I missed you too, babe."

With lust and need out of the way, there was room for tenderness and affection. We slowly came back to the present. She unlocked her ankles from behind my ass and slid down the wall to stand on her feet in front of me. I pushed her hair away from her face and just let my eyes take her in.

Never one to be much of a sap or too mushy, she pushed her skirt back down over her hips, and smoothed her hair. She glanced at the pile of suitcases in the middle of the living room and asked, "So do I get a drawer or a shelf in a closet, or will I be living out of all these suitcases?"

I laughed under my breath as I buttoned up my pants. "Not just a drawer, my sweet, I bought you your own chest of drawers, cleared out half of my closet and take a look at this," I said as I walked over to the coat closet. I opened the closet door quickly and held out a hand Price is Right style, revealing a completely empty space just for her.

"You're the best boyfriend, ever," she said as an uncharacteristically big and almost cheery smile spread across her face. It was the kind of smile that flushed her cheeks and made her eyes bright and squinty.

"Nobody's ever told me that before," I said with a chuckle.

Rosalie turned away from me, stood in the open door of the empty closet and asked, "Have you ever done this before?"

"What?"

"Offered a girl a closet or a dresser?"

"Er…no. I never so much as let anyone leave a toothbrush, much less made room in my sock drawer for a chick."

"Never?"

I stepped behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist and propped my chin on her shoulder and said, "You're the first."

She ran her hands along my forearms, leaned her head back against me and said, "I better be the last."

* * *

**End notes: Did it bring back nightmares of middle school gym class or was it tasty like a de-licious slice of Emmett meringue pie? **

**So Jasper and Rosalie are back in Seattle – was everything you'd hoped it would be? Can't wait to hear what you think?**


	27. Closer

**A/N:** I'm still slow to update, but I've come to terms with it. I won't quit or leave this story incomplete so please don't fret. I appreciate the PMs and emails asking about the status on the story and I really appreciate each and every reviewer. I've had a hard time keeping up with my replies to reviews so if I missed you, please forgive me. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey. We're almost to the end.

Chappie song is Closer by Ne-Yo. You can find it on youtube, or lastfm – check it when you can.

Special thanks to Tigress and Katy – I love you guys.

_Chapter 27: CLOSER_

EPOV

Somewhere between the third bottle of wine and dessert we lost them. Or rather, they lost us.

Jasper and I sat next to each other at the round table perfectly suited for six and situated in the middle of the busy restaurant, completely disconnected from the conversation. We were cut off and Emmett was trapped. He was locked between Bella and Rose with a feisty Alice perched on the edge of her seat on the other side of Rosalie leaning across the table. All three girls were engaged in a lively discussion about God only knows what. All I heard was the occasional squeal and giggle.

We looked across the table at Emmett sympathetically. He was leaned back in his chair with one arm draped across Bella's chair and the other behind Rosalie. Even though he was shut out conversationally, he seemed fully engaged, his eyes darting from one to the other while they chirped excitedly around him.

"Why does he look so…happy?" Jasper asked quietly.

I leaned back in my chair, stretched out my legs under the table and crossed my arms over my chest. "Because he is, I guess."

"He doesn't even look bored."

I cocked my head to the side for a moment, then cut my eyes at Jasper and said, "I don't think he is."

"How can he stand it?" Jasper asked.

I turned back to look at Emmett and the girls and said, "He's got ten years on us, my friend."

"True."

"He's totally assimilated," I said as I shifted my gaze from Emmett to Bella

"Like the Borg…" Jasper started ominously with a Star Trek analogy.

"Not exactly," I said cutting him off with a chuckle. "I mean, he's one of them. Because the three of them stayed together, stayed friends, he's never known anything any different. Alice has been running him since we were little, and he has been their big brother and protector for just as long. This is how they work."

Jasper puffed out his bottom lip, nodding as if he understood. "He speaks girl."

"Fluently," I said in agreement.

A chorus of "Happy Birthday" from another, more rowdy part of the restaurant pulled our attention for a moment. Of course the celebration piqued Alice's interest more than the rest of us, craning her neck and practically standing up so she might get a better view of the party goers.

"Edward, I forgot to ask you about your house," Rosalie said, drawing the attention from the singing across the room and back to us. "How is it?"

"It's gorgeous!" Alice exclaimed before I even had the chance.

I tipped my head towards Alice, nodded and said, "It is gorgeous, and it's all mine. I closed on it yesterday."

"Congratulations," Rosalie said and then took a sip of her wine.

"So how long before you move in?" Emmett asked.

"Two weeks," Alice and I answered in unison.

"Will you let him tell his own story," Emmett said with a hearty laugh. "Jesus, you're such a thunder stealer."

"I'm not – " Alice started.

"Its fine, Emmett," I said trying to diffuse this, the tenth Alice and Emmett bicker match of the night.

Alice muttered something not so ladylike under her breath, stabbed a giant piece of chocolate cake with her fork and popped it into her mouth.

Jasper rubbed a soothing hand across Alice's back and asked, "Do you really think it'll only take two weeks?"

I sighed and then replied, "No, probably not. Realistically we're hoping for more like thirty days."

Bella looked at me biting her lip, trying to hide a smile. I reached for her hand under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"We?" Emmett asked, at exactly the same time Alice squawked, "Thirty days?!"

Without taking her eyes from mine, Bella replied, "I gave my 30 day notice on my apartment this morning."

I leaned across the distance between us, kissed her and then we both turned to our friends with silly grins plastered on our faces.

Alice was already firing questions at us, while Rosalie sat back in her chair holding her glass of wine up in manner of a toast with a smirk and a wink. Jasper sputtered his congratulations as he clapped me on the back and Emmett just kind of stared at us, and then focused his gaze on Bella.

"Really?" Emmett asked quietly.

Bella reached across the table and put her hand on his. "Really, Em."

Emmett's face broke into a broad smile, he shot out of his chair, lunging at Bella and then wrapping her up into a hug. Bella was laughing when he let go of her and then he moved just as quickly over to me, grabbing me by the shoulders with the same kind of enthusiasm, except I got dragged out of my chair and nearly squeezed to death by one of his hugs. Emmett smacked me hard on the back several times before he let me go.

"This is just so…" – Emmett stood between me and Bella with one hand on each of our shoulders, turning his head back and forth at each of us, looking as if he was going to burst – "fucking awesome!"

Rosalie shook her head, rolled her eyes and then turned to Alice and asked, "Is he always this expressive?"

"Always," Alice answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

Emmett snorted in mock protest and then went back to his seat. I scooted closer to Bella and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and for the next fifteen minutes we fielded a litany of questions from the group about our new living arrangements.

Rosalie had excused herself to the restroom during the inquisition, and when she returned, she brought someone with her.

"Look who I found in the ladies' room."

"Hey, kids!"

"Tom!" Alice squealed and then leapt out of her seat to greet him.

Rosalie ducked out of the way and took her seat next to Emmett, silently amused by Alice's response to seeing Tom.

"What are you two doing back in town?" Tom asked pointing a whirling finger at Rosalie and then Jasper. "Last time I saw you, Mister Wonderful, you were crying in your heuvos rancheros because you had to get on a plane to go back to La La Land."

"Hey, man…uh…what's with the uh…?" Emmett asked, not quite able to complete the question, but pointing a finger at his own head as his eyes shot up to the top of Tom's.

With one arm wrapped around Alice and one hand firmly planted on his hip, Tom replied, "You can't be 'Queen for a day' without a tiara, now can you? Do you like it?"

"I thought that was like everyday," Emmett said with a chuckle.

"I know right?" he said as swatted at Emmett's shoulder and snorted a laugh. "This is my party hat, bitch. It's my birthday."

I wished him 'Happy Birthday' and watched as everyone gave Tom their well wishes. When I looked back to my left, I caught the most perfectly unaware profile of my Bella as she laughed and joked with our friends. Her hair was kind of tussled from running her hands through it all night, and it was tucked behind her ear, providing me with a most fortunate and unobstructed view of the tiny bruise where I'd bitten her the night before.

The group continued to chatter with Tom, but I couldn't have been less interested. He was a great guy and all, but I had more important things on my mind.

My eyes drifted from the top of her head to where her hair fell down her back, and then down the length of her arm, past the curve of her breast to her hand that fidgeted and twirled a discarded wine cork on the table top. She was finally mine, in every sense of the word and damned if I hadn't been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to duck out on this group date for the last half hour and take her home. I wanted to be back in our bubble and back in our bed.

I reached over and gently swept her hair over her shoulder, then leaned over and kissed my mark.

She nuzzled her cheek against me humming low and quiet in response and then asked, "So do you want to go?"

_Yes!_

I smiled and nodded against her neck and then pulled back to look at her. "Yes, please."

A small wrinkle twitched across her brow and she tilted her head a little to smile at me. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," I said looking back at her just as curiously as she looked at me. "We can take care of the check and be out of here in fifteen minutes."

"You're sure."

"Of course I'm sure. Yes, let's go," I said looking around for our server to ask for our check.

"Okay, looks like we're in, too," Bella said to our friends.

"This is going to be the best birthday ever!" Tom announced clapping his hands to punctuate each syllable that fell from his mouth.

I turned back to Bella, leaned in and whispered, "Wait. Where are we going?"

"I asked you if you were sure," she replied.

"And I thought you were asking me to take you home," I said through clenched teeth and tight lips, hoping that Bella was the only one who could hear me.

"Umm…no."

"No?" I whined.

"Tom invited us to join him at The Cuff to celebrate his birthday," she said with an impish spark in her eye and a completely amused smile on her lips.

"The Cuff?"

Bella nodded and confirmed, "The Cuff."

I blew out all the relief and anticipation that surged through my body just a moment ago with a heavy sigh and dropped my chin to my chest. I had to laugh. "I should probably just nod politely and pretend like I was paying attention when I clearly accepted the wrong invitation."

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Alice interrupted.

With a wink and smile that warned of her impending betrayal, Bella said, "Edward wasn't paying attention. He doesn't know where we're going."

I looked across the table in time to see Emmett stifle a laugh.

Tom was sharing a seat with Alice and was perched between her and Rosalie. In all of his bedazzled glory he quickly replied, "Only the best damn dance club in Seattle."

"Oh, okay," I said indifferently.

Going to a dance club wasn't exactly what I had in mind but Bella and the girls seemed pretty keen on the idea, so who was I to deny them? Emmett looked suspiciously amused and Jasper looked slightly up tight, but no more than usual. There was obviously more to this than they were telling me.

"Tell me, Edward," Tom started. "Are you the kind of guy that can take a compliment?"

"I think I am."

"Handle an unwanted advance?"

"Sure," I replied quickly and neutrally.

"Tom –" Bella tried to thwart his line of questioning.

"A grope?" he asked with a quirk of one eyebrow.

"Are you propositioning me in front of my girl, Tom?" I asked as I casually leaned back in my chair, draping my arm around the back of Bella's chair and flashed a grin at my inquisitor.

Emmett snorted and Rosalie nearly choked on her wine.

He stared back at me with a look of momentary surprise and then pursed his lips into a pucker. Without taking his eyes off me he said, "Emmett, looks like dear Edward is going to give you a fair bit of competition tonight."

"Fine by me," Emmett said through his laughter.

Tom slapped his hands together, held them tight below his chin and looked up, mumbling something I couldn't quite make out.

"What was that?" Bella asked.

"Just saying a quick hallelujah."

"For what?" Rosalie asked with an uncharacteristic snort.

"Honey, if you don't think that these three hot tamales are going to make me the most popular boy at the bar tonight, then you've lost your mind," he said as he crossed himself. "Just give the big man props now, you know, in case I forget later."

"So, we're going to a gay bar," I said, finally understanding Emmett's amusement, Tom's enthusiasm and Jasper's nervous twitch.

"You alright with that, cuz?"

"I may be a little slow to catch on, but I'm very evolved, Emmett. Of course I'm fine with it."

Tom got up, straightened his crown and flitted around the table kissing the girls goodbye and barking instructions for meeting up at the club. When he got to me, he put one hand on my shoulder and paused for just a second. "You're one lucky bitch, you know that, Bella?"

Bella was leaning forward on one elbow with her hand pressed against her cheek, looking at me. "Yes, I do."

Tom made some kind of guttural growl or grumble in his throat and then literally danced away from us and back to his rowdy friends in the back of the restaurant.

Alice was so excited; she was very nearly bouncing out of her chair. She was talking a mile a minute relating some story about the last time the tres amigos had gone out with Tom.

I looked at Bella. She was laughing as Alice recanted the events. She blinked slowly and asked, "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yeah. It's not exactly what I thought I was committing to, but it'll be fun," I said as I pushed away a stray strand of hair from her face. "Are you going to dance with me?"

She laughed abruptly and replied, "I'm not very good at it."

I leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I seem to recall you claiming not to be very good at something else and that turned out to be the furthest thing from the truth." I kissed her cheek and pulled away, but only enough to look into her eyes.

She blushed furiously and stuttered her reply, "I – I – you're bad, Edward Cullen. When you're toes are sore and bruised in the morning and you curse me for ruining your favorite pair of shoes, you'll acknowledge the truth."

"Hey Edward – we're just going to split it three ways, cool?" Emmett asked as he reviewed the bill.

"We'll see," I said to Bella as I reached into my back pocket for my credit card. I slid the card across the table to Emmet. "Three ways will be fine."

We paid our bill, got the cars out of valet and drove across town to The Cuff. Bella seemed worried about either my acceptance or my comfort level as we made our way to the door. She must have asked a half a dozen times if I was okay with the change in plans.

A bar is a bar and a gay bar isn't any different. Yeah, we might get a little attention but I was prepared. I was going to dance the night away with my girl, and Emmett and I agreed that we were going to pimp the hell out of the birthday boy. If he didn't get lucky, it wouldn't be because we were crappy wingmen. Emmett may have the rep for being the trouble maker, but when we drank together we were a pretty decent tag team.

I paid the cover charge and took Bella by the hand and led her into the vast, glittering, writhing sea of people that made even the walls of the club seem alive. A heavy synthesized beta throbbed in my ears and in my chest as we headed towards the bar. I recognized the melody and the words of the song that pulsed in the foggy room, and laughed.

Bella stepped up to the bar next to me, leaned over and shouted above the music into my ear, "Why are you laughing?"

I shook my head, leaned towards her and replied, "This song. My grandmother used to play the original 1970 Freda Payne version on her fancy console stereo when we were kids. I can't believe they're playing this."

"Oh, they remix everything now," she shouted back. "Fleetwood Mac, Eurythmics, even Marvin Gaye."

"Really?"

"It's not just Britney anymore, babe," she said with a smile.

"The gays are going retro. Cool."

She leaned forward again, shouting only slightly softer, "Thanks for doing this."

I leaned back and looked at her without reply and wrinkled my brow, asking without words, what she meant.

"Tom means a lot to us…thanks for being okay with this," she said as she stepped closer to me and slipped her hands over my shoulders.

I gathered her up in my arms, pulling her tight against me. "I don't know if you should be thanking me just yet."

"Why?"

"Don't you feel it?" I asked as I pressed her tight against my body and began to rock gently to the beat of the techno pulse.

Her eyes grew wide and she glanced slowly around to see if anyone else in the room would guess or more importantly see what she could feel pressing against her stomach.

"Not that dirty girl…the sexual energy in the room. After a night of drinking, dancing, touching, rubbing against each other, and the whole need to behave because we're in such a public place," – I leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on her lips – "is nothing short of foreplay."

A grin spread across her pretty glossed lips and she rose up on her toes and kissed the hell out of me.

I let the kiss consume me and was on the verge of forgetting that we _were_ in a public, albeit pretty liberal environment, when I felt a sharp smack on my ass.

I reluctantly broke away from the heat of the kiss and slowly looked over my shoulder to find a ginning Emmett and an almost nauseous looking Jasper holding out a drink for me. Bella and I untangled ourselves and turned to our friends. Alice handed Bella a drink and made a squeaky toast to which we all gave a quick cheers and let the drinking and the true frivolity commence.

At Alice's encouragement, the girls scampered off, threading their way through the crowd finding a secure spot on the busy dance floor.

Not long after the girls had abandoned us, Tom found us at the bar. He draped his arm over mine and Emmett's shoulders and asked, "Who's doing a shot with me?"

Jasper's hand shot up. "I'm buying."

"Lose your shirt already, Tom?" I asked with a laugh.

"I didn't lose anything, sweetheart," he said as he made a quick turn, flashing his backside, his party shirt tucked carefully into the back of his jeans.

Emmett looked down at his shirt and brushed his hand down his side. "Jesus Christ, Tom – are you covered in glitter?"

"Duh. It's my birthday."

"Shit," Emmett complained with a chuckle, still trying to brush away the tiny bits of sparkle that glinted in the pulses of light. "I'm covered in this crap."

"A little fairy dust never hurt anyone, Emmett," Tom said bouncing and swaying to the beat. While Jasper dealt with the bartender, Emmett and I sipped our drinks, chatted with Tom and watched the girls dance.

"I think this is the only place in the whole of Seattle – no strike that…in the whole fucking world – that I can calmly watch my girl dance like that with a bunch of half naked guys and not want to crack any skulls," Emmett barked into my ear above the noise.

I took a long drink and nodded, completely understanding. The girls were surrounded and seemed to be having a blast. One by one, they drained their glasses, each being relieved of their empties by an attentive stranger and then dancing with even more exuberance.

Jasper tapped me on the shoulder and when I turned towards him he was handing out the shots.

I sniffed the glass before the celebratory toast – whisky, I should have guessed. We all wished Tom "Happy Birthday," and then knocked back the first of many shots for the night.

Tom's party had taken up residence in a roped off VIP area of the club that overlooked the dance floor. He led us over to the red velvet ropes and introduced us as his straights. They were a really nice bunch of guys and Tom was really enjoying all the attention.

In the ten or fifteen minutes we stood on the VIP platform with Tom we were treated to at least two more rounds of shots.

I finished my drink and then glanced over at Jasper. He smiled at me and nodded his chin towards the girls on the dance floor. I nodded in agreement and followed Jasper – well, actually it was more like he was Moses parting the Red Sea the way everyone just moved out of our way – as we pushed through the crowd towards the girls.

I slipped behind Bella and put my hands on her hips, keeping time with her dancing. She barely glanced over her shoulder unconcerned with who her new dance partner might be, but once she realized it was me, she spun around and really turned it on. Seeing that Emmett hadn't followed, Rosalie made a big show of seductively sandwiching Bella between us, dancing like a total sex kitten and then sashayed around us both until she settled behind me, making me the object of her attention.

Bella laughed and played along. She turned her back to me, pressing her backside against my hips and thighs while Rosalie danced behind.

Emmett might not have minded the gays, but I was pretty sure that even though I was his cousin, and not to mention, completely in love with Bella, he wouldn't take kindly to the way Rosalie's hands were running up and down my arms and back as she danced behind me. He wouldn't be able to hold court with his new friends and admirers in the VIP area for much longer. When she let her hand trail down over my butt and turned, rubbing her own backside against me I started the countdown in my head.

_10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – yep, that's what I thought. _

Alice and Jasper danced next to us, while Rosalie and Emmett made out next to us. Together but in our own little worlds.

The music, the energy and what seemed like thousands of people swarmed around us as we danced. Bella anchored me and my liquor soaked brain with her arms around my neck and her body pressed against mine. We danced – more like swayed together in time to the heavy techno beat – and were soon lost in the tangle of hands, uninhibited affection and the seductive energy of the club. She kissed me and nothing else existed.

Except Alice. _Shit._

"Rosalie and I need to go to the ladies…are you coming?"

Alice already had Bella's hand grasped firmly in hers and had begun dragging her away before Bella had the chance to reply.

Bella smiled at me apologetically, stretched her neck to give me a quick parting kiss. As Alice pulled her across the floor, Bella shouted above the music, "I'll meet you back by Tom's party." At least that's what I thought she said.

With the girls gone, Jasper, Emmett and I stood awkwardly on the dance floor under the lights and in the smelly fog, eyes darting between the three of us. The natives had grown curious and were starting to circle the wagon.

"Let's go find Tom," Emmett suggested.

"And more booze," Jasper added as the three of us stalked off the crowded floor.

A single red rope separated the party from the rest of the club. Once were given the 'they're with me' all clear from Tom, and were tucked into the VIP area, I felt like there was an ounce of separation, whether actual or perceived, I couldn't really tell the difference between the two, but I liked it. The music was just as loud, the lights just as bright and flashy, but the fact that we were kind of tucked away made it a bit of a respite.

Emmett and Jasper chatted up the wait staff assigned to our group, likely ordering more drinks. Tom came over and sat down on the glowing, white upholstered couch behind me. I looked down at him and he tilted his head to one side with a quirky glint in his eyes. He crossed his legs and then patted the cushion next to him, inviting me to sit down with him.

I sat next to Tom, leaned back against the couch and crossed my legs mimicking his body posture. Just then a young man wearing a criss cross harness strapped across his bare chest, filled with shot glasses and little else but another something or another around his waist filled with liquor bottles and underwear approached us, offering us a shot.

I glanced over at Tom. Without a word, he stretched his arm across the back of the couch behind me and held up his other hand flashing two fingers.

"The usual?" the shot guy asked.

Tom nodded and began fumbling awkwardly in his pockets for what I assumed was cash to pay for the order.

I put my hand over his knee and waived him off. "It's your birthday. I got this."

A silly smile broke out on his face, and he relaxed back into the couch.

Bright green shots in hand, we toasted a quick 'chin chin' and slugged back the syrupy, sweet liquid. It tasted like a green apple jolly rancher and in pretty short order locked my jaw up at the sour aftertaste.

"You're all right, you know that?" Tom declared as we put our little shot glasses down on the table in front of us.

"Thanks, Tom. You're all right, too."

Tom sat up straight next to me looking kind of cross eyed and serious at the same time.

"I mean it." He slurred his words and his usually sharp mannerisms had turned sluggish, but his eyes maintained the seriousness he was trying to convey. He pointed a thin finger at my chest and continued, "You're a good guy and Bella deserves a good one."

I nodded and pressed my lips together in a tight line. While I appreciated Tom's words, it was clear he was hammered.

"I'm serioussssss…"

"Oh, I believe you are," I said with a chuckle.

"You're not like that other prick. That…fuck…what's his name? He was an asshole."

I knew who he was talking about, but I just shrugged and played dumb. Emmett was the only one who knew I knew anything about James, and until Bella brought it up, I was staying mum on the subject.

"You know…she only brought him to Nalla's like once or twice, but I knew. Oh yeah, I _knew_ he was bad news. He had some bad ju ju," Tom explained emphatically. "What the hell was his – started with a 'J'."

"Jake?" I asked, knowing full well that he wasn't talking about Jake. Bella hadn't said one bad word about Jake, but I couldn't help baiting Tom for more information.

"Pffftt – NO! He was sweet. He was a bit too handsy if you ask me, but harmless enough," he said dismissively.

My eyebrow shot up at the 'handsy' remark but I let him continue.

"The asshole – why can't I remember his name? Anywhoooo, you're way better than him. Like perfect, if you know what I mean."

Knowing what I did of Tom, his character and guessing that alcohol would only act as truth serum, I couldn't resist the opportunity to ask more about James. Bella hadn't brought it up, and although I hadn't asked, I wanted to know more.

"So this guy –"

"Starts with a 'J' –"

"Right, let's not worry about that for now. This guy was an asshole?"

"Total asshole," Tom replied quickly. He picked up his drink and chased an elusive straw around the perimeter with his mouth, which again made me fight to keep my laughter in check. He claimed the wayward straw and took a sip of his drink. "I'm good at reading people, you know? And believe me when I tell you, he was _not_ good people."

"What do you mean? Like specifically what –"

"There you are," Bella interrupted.

Tom and I looked up at her from our comfy perch on the couch. She stood in front of us sipping delicately on a giant blue drink – stuffed with skewered fruit and tacky umbrellas – that was so big, she had to hold it with both hands. She shook her hips to the beat, swaying slightly. She was clearly buzzed and embracing the environment, the madness _and_ the alcohol.

Bella turned quickly and moved to situate herself between Tom and me. We both shifted in just enough time for her to plop down between us.

"Hey Bellaluna, what was that guy's name?" Tom asked.

"What guy?"

"You knoooww…_that_ guy. That snotty guy you dated for a while that hated everybody."

She choked on her blue drink.

"You know. Captain jackass – starts with a 'J'…"

Bella blinked, but seemed to be reacting more to Tom's blunt pursuit rather than to anything particularly emotional.

I casually sipped on my drink beside her, listening intently for her reply and doing my drunk best to pretend like I didn't know what, or who he was asking about.

"James," she replied casually.

"THAT'S it! James!" Tom declared. He leaned forward, looking past Bella at me and said, "You're way better than him."

Bella's brow wrinkled as she looked between the two of us and then put the straw back to her lips, drinking it down with purpose.

"Thanks, Tom. I appreciate it, buddy," I said with a nod.

I turned to look at Bella expecting to see some kind of emotion. Surprise, fear, horror…something, but she showed nothing. She just sat there looking down into her giant fishbowl of a blue drink, furiously sucking on the bright pink straw until she drained it, her face completely devoid of emotion.

Maybe Emmett was being dramatic when he told me about James. Maybe it hadn't been as bad as I feared. If she hadn't talked in her sleep and been so restless in those first few nights together, I might have dismissed it right then. She might not have reacted in the way I expected, but the fact that she sucked back the entire content of that drink in seconds flat meant something. Either she was drowning the drama with blue curacao or I should be concerned that my perfect Bella was a raging binge drinker.

Bella leaned forward and put the empty fishbowl on the table.

"Whatever happened to him?" Tom asked.

"Who?" she asked as she relaxed back against the couch.

"James."

"I have no idea," she answered flatly.

I was still kind of surprised by her non-reaction, but I didn't feel entirely comfortable pressing it. Yet.

Tom shrugged and then his attention was suddenly called away by his friends who stood on the other side of the red rope, begging for him to join them on the dance floor. He said a quick 'see you later' and danced away, disappearing into the crowd.

I sank back against the couch beside Bella and looked over my shoulder at her. "Who's James?"

She waived a lazy hand dismissively in front of her and replied, "Captain jackass…just like Tom said."

I wished it was a sober conversation with a fully engaged dialog, but it was already out there, and I couldn't help myself.

"So he's someone you dated?" I asked.

She turned her head to look at me. "Yeah. Big mistake. Didn't work out so well."

I didn't say anything, but picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"He wasn't very nice."

"No?"

"No, he wasn't nice," she said as she shook her head and peeled herself slowly away from the couch. She stood up and then turned back to me. She leaned over me, placed her hands on the back of the couch and slowly straddled me, firmly planting her knees against my thighs and settled on my lap. She kissed me, briefly teasing my lips with her kiss. "But you are."

I looked into her glazed, gloriously warm eyes and ran my hands up and down her sides from her ribs to her hips. "I am what?" I asked rather hoarsely.

"Nice," she said with a smile. She wrapped her arms around my neck, her mouth just slightly out of reach of my own, the sweet smell of fruity alcohol breath washed over me. "You're nice to talk to…nice to kiss…nice to hold. You're very nice to look at…and to smell. God, you smell so good."

She captured my gaping mouth with her soft, sweet lips after every declaration.

"You're nice to touch…to love."

"Mmm…to love," I mumbled against her lips.

"And you're oh so nice to feel," she said as she devilishly began to rock her hips against my straining erection. She had me pinned, torturing me with her words, her long, slow kisses and now she'd made me so hard beneath her that I didn't think there was any way in hell I could get us out there without taking a moment to collect myself first.

I did my best to stop her, but she was very persistent. It wasn't until I realized that I was gripping her hips and her backside in a most ungentlemanly way actually guiding her hips, forcing a slow, hard grind against my erection rather than doing anything to stop it, that I decided it was time to get her out of there.

I reached up placing my hands on both sides of her face and forced our lips apart.

She wasn't giving up so easily as she fought against my hold on her face, still hungrily seeking my lips, placing soft, cushy lingering kisses on my mouth. She moaned and ground herself roughly in my lap.

"Bella…" I groaned.

"Take me home," she purred in my ear as she braided her fingers in my hair at the back of my neck.

Without a moment's hesitation or consideration for the bulge in my pants, Tom or our friends, I stood up and unceremoniously hoisted her over my shoulder and marched out of the club. I didn't hear her giggly protest until we were outside.

At her insistence I put her down and laughed at how wobbly she was on her feet. She was drunk, and I was in no shape to drive, so we staggered down the sidewalk towards the line of waiting cabs.

It was a quiet, but crazy charged ride home from the club. The elevator ride was a heated 30 second ride in which Bella had me pressed against the walls of the elevator car, tugging at my clothes and tearing off her own. When the doors finally opened on her floor, she turned away from me and walked out and down the hall, leaving me breathless, stunned and alone.

I shook it off and followed behind her, finding a trail of discarded clothing scattered down the hall. I bent to pick up her clothes as I walked down the hall, all the while watching her struggle with fitting the key into the door. Once she got the key in, it was a quick turn and then she disappeared inside.

I laughed at how uninhibited and clearly aggressive drunk Bella was. It was funny until I followed the trail of clothes that led to the bedroom. She stood gloriously naked in the middle of the room waiting for me, completely unencumbered by her insecurities, her fear, or any of the other number of things that she let overwhelm her on a daily basis. No, it wasn't funny anymore…it was sexy as hell, and I was dying to take her.

"You're beautiful," I said dropping the clothes that I'd gathered along the way.

"And you've got on too many clothes," she said with a smirk and a slight wobble.

I kicked off my shoes and quickly shucked off every stitch of clothing on my body and stood in front of her.

Bella stepped backwards and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached for the little drawer in the bedside table, retrieved a condom and then put it to her lips and tore it open. I wanted to laugh when a bit of the foil wrapper got stuck on her lip and she sputtered and spit several times before it fell to the floor.

I felt the smile spread across my face as she beckoned me to her. I walked over to her, stood between her legs, ran my hands across her shoulders and looked down at her as she tried to put the condom on me.

Her brow wrinkled, she cursed under her breath and she looked up at me and apologized.

I tucked my lips between my teeth and stifled a laugh. "Do you need some help?"

"No," she replied quickly. "Well, maybe. Could you just hold it still for me?"

I laughed and did as she asked. I only winced once when she used a slightly heavy hand as she rolled the thin latex down over me.

Satisfied we were protected; she took my hand and tugged at me, encouraging me to lie next to her.

I kissed her gently and pressed my hand against her breast, gently kneading her and pinching her nipple between my fingers. She arched against me and then with both hands pressed hard against my chest, rolling me onto my back. She was in charge and holy hell, did she mean business.

She stared down at me as she situated herself over me, and her glassy, heavy eyes fluttered for just the briefest of moments when she took me into her. She was still for what seemed like an eternity before she started making small circles with her hips and then she began to rock back and forth against me setting a slow, meticulous pace with her hips. Her lips were parted, and her eyes fixed on me as she rode me.

I gripped her hips, guiding her, trying like hell to let her maintain control, denying the urge to quicken the pace or to lift my hips off the bed, hold her still above me and take charge all together. She leaned forward, resting her hands on my chest, for balance, a better position or for better leverage, I didn't care. Her fingers dug into my chest as she moved faster above me.

She was in control but there was no way I was giving up on the whole orgasm situation she absolutely believed existed. When I was sure I wouldn't last much longer, I reached my hand between us where we were joined and I put my thumb on the magic spot and made tight, gentle circles over the swollen bundle of nerves.

Bella gasped and shut her eyes tight, rocking against my hand and my cock with even more fervor. She was beautiful. I marveled at the way her breasts swayed and bounced in rhythm with her strokes as she took me. Because of the position of my hand between us, I felt her muscles stretch and give as I moved in and out of her. I watched her beautiful face flush, her eyes roll up and flutter shut, and her chest heave as the breath escaped her, and then I felt her tighten on me. I groaned at the site of her and lost all control when she came. I gripped her hips and lifted her off the bed with me as I pulled her down hard on me with short, hard thrusts beneath her. She gasped again with every thrust and screamed in release when another orgasm rocked her, and I finally came with her.

Her body trembled and she curled into herself, drawing her knees up and pressing her feet flat on the bed, still almost involuntarily writhing and squeezing me from deep inside her. She shivered, letting one last tremor roll through her body and then she collapsed on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and ran my hands up and down her back. "You okay?"

"Holy shit. I'm good. I'm so good right now," she replied curling her body further into mine.

She didn't have to move, but I needed to slip out of her and get rid of the condom before things got tricky. I gently rolled us on our sides and took care of the more messy side of sex without disturbing her too much. I threw the blankets over her and then slipped out of bed. I went to the bathroom and cleaned up a bit and rooted through the medicine cabinet until I found the Advil. I padded naked through the apartment to the kitchen. With a large water bottle and enough Advil for both of us in hand I went back to bed.

Bella was curled up on her side with the blankets pulled all the way up to her chin. I thought she'd be asleep or passed out by the time I got back, but no, she was only half asleep but had a sweet smile on her face as I crawled in next to her.

"Sit up babe, you should take these," I said holding four Advil in the palm of my hand.

"All of them?" she croaked.

"No, two for you, two for me," I said as I popped two of the little orange coated pills into my mouth.

Bella took the two pills and I handed her the water.

With hangover cures administered and the remaining bottle of water stowed on the nightstand for that dreaded 7:00 a.m. dehydration headache that always comes after a night of drinking, I turned off the bedside lamp and we settled back under the covers.

"That was..." she started.

"Amazing?"

"I was going to say, awesome, but yeah…amazing," Bella said with a sleepy giggle. "You know what…no, amazing is too small a word for what that was."

"Fucking amazing?"

"Fucking something – amazing, awesome, earth shattering, life changing – you choose the adjective," she said smiling. "Just make sure the word 'fucking' is in front of it."

"How about perfect?"

"That's it. Fucking perfect."

"God, you sound like Emmett," I said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be – I'm not offended," I said wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

She curled against my side, turning her body into mine and bending her leg over my torso taking on a now familiar position that meant comfort and eventually sleep. "I've never felt anything like that. Ever."

I kissed the top of her hand and shifted my body beside her, comforted by her warmth against me and the brush of her hair under my chin. "I just hope you remember it, sweet girl."

"Remember it?" she said groggily as she spoke through a yawn. "How could I not?"

"We'll see." I laughed low and quiet. Pleased and proud that I had in fact given her an orgasm during the actual ACT of having sex, but I couldn't help but think that giant blue fishbowl of a drink would leave her sick and completely clueless by morning.

Her breath was slow and steady, her arm across my chest and the leg draped across my hip were heavy and limp and I knew she was out. Passed out? Maybe. Asleep? Definitely. I wondered if she would remember how much fun she had tonight. If she would remember what she felt and if I might ever see aggressive, take control, capable-of-an-orgasm Bella any time soon.

God, I sure hoped so.

For the reviewer who asked that the next chapter have the gang at Nalla's with Tom – I hope this satisfies the request. I love it when an outline matches up with reader expectations. Can't wait to hear your comments!!

End Notes:

Can anyone name the song that Edward references when they get tot he club? Freda Payne...anyone??


	28. Secrets

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone or sticking with the story. It means the world to me that you keep coming back to it and that you still have so much to say. I appreciate your continued support and your comments.

The song for this chappie was tough to decide. I finally settled on a new song from One Republic called, Secrets. You can find it on youtube or nextfm. If you love it – thank Katy for helping me choose.

Katydid and Tigress are my Resto-Angels and I love them for it. WhoKnows is a heckuva pic spammer when I'm down in the dirt. MWAH!

Disclaimer: The initials are MS not SM. Her characters, my plot.

* * *

Chapter 28:

BPOV

"I don't know why you insisted on doing this yourself, Bella," Rosalie said as she surveyed the damage. "More importantly, I don't know why I agreed to help."

"Because you love me."

Rosalie's lips twisted into a playful snarl. She gingerly picked up a single piece of newspaper and complained, "You know you could have hired people to do this for you."

"I know. But if I let someone else do it for me, it might have been weeks before I found my garlic press," I said proudly holding up one of my most favorite kitchen gadgets.

"God forbid," Rosalie griped as she wrapped a plate in the paper with a look of total disgust on her face. "Tell me again why we're not using bubble wrap?"

"Environmental consciousness."

She finished wrapping the plate with a grunt, put it in the box and looked at her hands. "Dammit. I hate this."

I looked up from my own wrapping and packing to find her furiously wiping her hands on her jeans. "What?"

"God damn newsprint," she said showing me her charcoal smudged hands. "I can't stand this shit."

I smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry."

"Meh – don't worry about it. Its not like I could leave you to this all by yourself," she said picking up another piece of newspaper and a plate. "But you owe me a manicure."

"Thank you."

I wasn't supposed to be packing to move on my own. Edward and I had planned on doing it together but work had monopolized his time in the weeks leading up to the move. Toss in then an unexpected trip to New York, and that left me on my own and calling in the only available reinforcement. It wasn't his fault, but I couldn't help but be frustrated with the circumstance. We were moving in two days and there was still so much to do.

I looked around at the open cabinets and drawers and was overwhelmed. I felt my chin quiver and the bitter sting of tears. I ducked my head and went back to my packing.

I needed a conversational distraction – anything to stop the tears from spilling over. Emmett and Rosalie had just gotten back from picking up her car a few days ago so I asked, "How was the drive up from L.A.?

"It was good. Emmett complains about how small my car is, but he can't resist the cool factor once he's finally behind the wheel. He's no Steve McQueen, but I have to admit he does look pretty sexy with his aviators and the wind whipping through his hair," she replied.

"Anybody looks sexy driving a Roadster, Rose."

"True," she said. "But there was something seriously hot about cruising down PCH, riding shot gun and just watching him," she said. "The man's got one hell of a profile."

"It's the dimples," I said, nodding my head in agreement.

Rosalie stopped wrapping and dropped her hands into her lap. "It's the dimples, his jaw, his nose, the pattern that his curls make just above his collar and behind his ear," she said as she stared dreamily out into space. "And then when he sings along with his favorite music, he gets this smile that just lights up his whole face."

"Ah…the sing along," I said with a giggle. "You know Emmett's singing makes lesser women cringe, right?"

Rosalie hummed in acknowledgement and continued to stare at nothing in particular with a smile on her face.

"It's been a deal breaker on more than one occasion," I continued. "But now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure those were well planned attempts to push buttons so he didn't have to do the breaking up. Obnoxious Emmett is a favorite go-to when he tires of a relationship."

Rosalie laughed under her breath and shook her head. She went back to wrapping the plate and dropped it in the box. "Emmett's not obnoxious; he's just excitable and passionate."

"With an obnoxious sense of humor," I added.

"Well yeah - there's that, but…" she started and then she sat back, leaning against the cabinet, looking thoughtful as if she was searching for the right words. "He's just so full of love and life and what's the right word?…Joy."

"I think joyful is exactly the right way to describe him."

"I love him," she said quietly.

I smiled and kept on packing, happy to know that she loved him for all the best parts of him.

Whether to reassure or, or to convince me, I'm not sure, but she reached over the box that she was packing and tugged on the sleeve of my shirt to get my attention. "I really, really love him, Bella."

"I know." I reached over and patted her hand, surprised by the softness in her eyes.

She let out a heavy sigh and smiled at me. "So what about you? Is it love?"

I wouldn't be packing up my life and moving if it wasn't.

"It's always been love with Edward. You know that," I replied.

"Yeah, I do," she said with a grimace as she picked up another piece of newspaper. "It's just nice to hear you say it. Nice to see your face when you talk about it."

I smiled and blushed a little at Rosalie's observation.

"There were a few days there over reunion weekend in Forks when Emmett and I thought you might turn away from it and run," she said looking up at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Emmett knows me too well," I said as I kneeled down, closed up a full box and moved it out of the way.

"It wasn't just Emmett."

I rolled my eyes and said, "I know. Alice lectured me all weekend."

"I wasn't talking about Alice," she said as she put another wrapped plate in the box beside her. "Edward was worried, too."

I stopped what I was doing and sat down on the floor. I sighed and said, "I know. I'm trying to be more of a glass half full kind of girl these days."

"How's that going for you?"

"Pretty good," I said with a nod. "He's so sure about everything, and even though I'm still not sure of much of anything except that I love him and he loves me, it's nearly impossible to be a pessimist now."

"Only you would be over the moon in love and still worry about crap that's never going to happen," she said and then rolled her eyes at me. "Just be happy my friend."

"I am happy, Rose," I replied. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she said with a shrug.

"Before the reunion, did you ever think about Emmett?"

"Honestly? Not very often," she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," she said nodding and shifting her posture. "He was my past. I didn't think we'd see each other again. And I've never been one to look back or wish things were different. I just kept moving forward and racking up ex boyfriends. Well that's not true, I dated a lot, but was never interested enough to date anyone exclusively. I can't even remember my last ex."

"God, I wish _I_ didn't remember my last ex. He was a mean, controlling bastard." The words came fast and effortlessly. I didn't even realize what I said until it was already out there, hanging in the air like a cartoon bubble above my head.

"I've had a few of those," Rosalie said rather flippantly.

A few? Rosalie replied as if it was nothing. My heartbeat thrummed in my ears, low and fast. I reached for my pendant and rubbed it between my thumb and index finger. Safe not scared. Edward not James. Love not fear.

Rosalie's eyes narrowed at me. She tilted her head a fraction of an inch and then took a breath and opened her mouth to speak. I quickly got up and said, "I think I've got a bottle of wine in the fridge. You want some?"

"Ahh…sure."

I poured the wine, hoping against hope that she wouldn't press the subject.

Forsomeone like Rosalie it probably was nothing. Someone like Rosalie wouldn't have been so stupid to have walked blindly into a relationship because she was tired of being alone. Someone like Rosalie would have been aware and seen all the red flags and would have come out of it unscathed. Someone like Rosalie wouldn't have been so weak and pathetic to let a man like James have so much control. She wouldn't feel shame for inviting a bad guy into her life or have dreams about it two years later…but I did.

"So tell me about the bastard," she said bluntly.

I turned with the two glasses of wine in my hand and just stared at her for a moment. I couldn't speak. I handed her a glass of wine swallowed hard.

"Just start talking, Bella," she replied.

I sat down on the floor, bent my knees and wrapped my arms around my shins. I took a sip of wine and said, "I never talked about this…about him. Ever."

"You can't keep the bad stuff bottled up, B," she encouraged.

I took a long drink of my wine and made my admission. "Two years ago, after a pretty long social drought, I started dating James. He wasn't the kind of guy that I would typically go out with, but he was nice and he seemed to really like me. He was interested in what I did, what I said, you know, really attentive. And then later he was mostly interested in who I talked to, where I went and with who."

"Oh my," Rose said with a sigh.

I'd gotten to the part of the cliff notes that made me uncomfortable and I began to struggle with my confession, but I continued anyway. "My friendship with Alice and Emmett only seemed to agitate him, so I pulled away from them – anything to try to make him happy, but nothing worked. Then there was a pregnancy scare –"

"Pregnant?" Rosalie looked at me with kind, sympathetic eyes which were almost more unsettling than the fact that I was actually talking about my time with James.

"I wasn't, but I thought I could be," I said. "It was awful…the longest eight days of my entire life. He found a receipt for an over the counter pregnancy test, and he started making plans which completely freaked me out. When it turned out that I wasn't pregnant, he got angry and turned on me."

"Did Emmett know any of this was going on?" she asked.

"No. By that time I was barely talking to him or Alice, and I still thought I could get out on my own," I said quietly. I looked down and picked at an imperfection in the denim stretched across my knee. "I was so ashamed that I'd gotten myself in such a mess that I just couldn't bring myself to ask for help."

"Did he – Bella, look at me – did he ever hurt you?" she demanded.

I nodded and the tears began to flood my eyes. "Yeah."

"Mother fucker," she growled through clenched teeth. "If Emmett had known what was going on, he would have killed him."

"I know," I said as the tears spilled down my cheeks. "It's one – one of the reasons I – I –"

"One of the reason you _couldn't_ tell him, wasn't it? You didn't want Emmett to get hurt or go to jail trying to protect you," she concluded.

"I was so scared," I said with a sniffle. "I couldn't be scared for Emmett, too."

"How did you get out?" Rosalie asked, handing me a napkin.

I wiped my nose, took a deep breath and said, "Well, the first time I tried, I told him I was leaving. And then _he_ told me the only way I was leaving him was out the sliding glass door and over the edge of the 10th story balcony of my apartment."

"Jesus, Bella."

"In the end, Emmett did help and without my having to ask or tell him what I'd been dealing with." I blew my nose and continued, "James slipped up in front of Emmett and Alice and let his true, controlling, bad guy self show, and Emmett kicked his ass."

"That's my man," she said, forcing a smile.

I smiled back at her but it was only a matter of seconds before I cracked. I dropped my head to my knees and began to sob.

Rosalie moved across the kitchen floor to sit beside me and wrapped me in her arms. She smoothed my hair, offered soft, soothing words, held me tight and let me cry.

I cried because I was relieved that I'd actually talked about my experience outside of therapy and in the comfort and safety of a friend. I cried because I was embarrassed that I'd let a man have so much power, and I cried because I knew I couldn't ignore it or avoid anymore.

Packing didn't seem so important anymore. More wine and the gory details of my abusive relationship became the top priority of the night. Rosalie listened quietly when I babbled, did a bit of name calling when I shared the particularly nasty bits of the story and every now and then expressed her desire to castrate James. She did her best to understand, counsel and entertain me, and I loved her for it.

Throughout the course of the conversation, Rosalie confirmed what I'd already known. If I was ever going to be able to let it go, I was going to have to tell Edward.

We were still packing and talking when we heard Edward's keys in the door.

"Hey, Sugar, I'm home!" he called from the entry way.

"Sugar?" Rosalie asked with a laugh.

"Shut up," I said with a giggle. "We're in the kitchen."

Edward came around the corner, looking perfectly disheveled from his travels and stopped abruptly when he saw us sprawled on the floor surrounded by boxes. "Wow. This is umm…"

"A big, fucking mess?" Rosalie interjected.

"Yeah, that's exactly what it is," he said.

He ventured into the maze of boxes towards us. I wiped my nose casually and then stood up to greet him. "This isn't a mess, babe. This is progress."

"Progress?" he mused as he closed the gap between us, took me in his arms and kissed me.

"Definite progress," I said and kissed him again.

"You should have seen it three hours ago." Rose held up a near empty bottle of wine and offered it up to Edward. "Want a drink?"

Edward shrugged out of his jacket and accepted the offer.

Rosalie got up and rooted around for a clean wine glass while Edward and I enjoyed being in the same space for the first time in four days. Rose was still busy with the wine, when Edward looked at me curiously and asked, "Have you been crying?"

"Okay, mister, here's your wine." Rosalie handed Edward a full glass and patted him on the back. She moved in for a hug, kissed me on the cheek and winked at me before she turned to leave. "I'm out."

"Good night, Rose," I said.

"Night!"

"Drive careful," Edward added.

Edward and I watched her glide around the boxes through the dining and living room. She barely stalled at the couch to swing her purse over her shoulder.

"Thank you!" I called after her, hoping she heard me before she reached the door.

"You owe me a manicure!" she shouted back and then shut the door behind her.

I giggled and sniffled quietly. I took Edward's hand and started to lead him out of the kitchen. "So how was your trip?"

"Exhausting," he replied. "Hey, are you sure you want to leave the kitchen like this?"

I tugged at him, encouraging him to follow me. "It'll wait. C'mon, come sit with me."

"Alright, if it's OK with you, it's OK with me," he said, giving up the resistance and following me to the couch.

He sat down, kicked off his shoes and relaxed back against the couch, propping his feet on the cluttered coffee table. I sat down beside him and snuggled up against him, settling comfortably in the nook. He took a drink and exhaled loudly. I hummed contentedly, happy to have him home.

Edward drank his wine and I felt him physically relax beside me. We didn't speak, we just sat quietly together. After a few minutes he finally broke the silence and asked, "So are you going to tell me why your eyes are puffy and your nose is all stuffy?"

I sat up, drained my wine glass and turned to face him. I took one shallow, cleansing breath and summoned up whatever courage Rosalie had instilled in me. "Edward, I need to talk to you."

* * *

**End Notes: **Happy 2010 everyone! Thanks for reading!


	29. Your Guardian Angel

**A/N:** I have the BEST readers ever!!! Thanks for all your comments and for your continued support.

Tigress, your Google skills make me look good, and Katydid, thanks for telling me to go back and make it better. I love you guys!

This chappie is named for one of my favorite songs of the last few years…your Guardian Angel, by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Its SUCH an Edward song – it couldn't be helped.

* * *

Chapter 29: Your Guardian Angel

EPOV

Bella talked and I listened. I did my best to keep my need to ask questions in check, allowing her to take her time as she struggled to tell me about her ordeal.

She sat cross-legged on the couch facing me, alternatively rubbing her pendant between her fingers and picking at her fingernails. She tried so hard to keep her voice calm and unemotional, but the occasional tear slipped down her cheek. I didn't say anything, but I reached for her and gently wiped her tears away. He had hurt her, and in telling me about her experience, she was hurting still.

She labored over every word and fought to sit through moments of unbearable silence as she either summoned up courage to go on talking or she carefully considered her words deciding what or how to share. I knew she was assessing my reaction with each new revelation and I could do nothing more than hold her hand and wait for the next terrible turn. The hand I offered her was soft and gentle, but my other hand, hidden behind the back of the couch was clenched in a tight, white knuckled fist. The fury I felt for the bastard who had done and said these horrible things to her knotted in my stomach.

I kept my eyes fixed on her face as she spoke, her eyes lifting to meet mine briefly and then falling away unfocused and ashamed. I hoped my expression was soft and encouraging when she dared to glance up, but I couldn't be sure. I was sad for her and furious at myself for not having the courage to come back sooner. She had suffered too much at James' hand while I floundered around London in a ridiculous relationship, trying to find myself. _Idiot._ I couldn't change anything, but God, how I wish I could.

I knew the strength it took for her to finally tell me about James – I could see it all over her face and in her body language – but I didn't expect the strength and measure of control that would be required of me to hear it.

Bella told me about how he'd controlled her, how he threatened her, hit her, ridiculed her and broke her down. He punished her at every opportunity, physically and emotionally. When she told me how things had escalated after a pregnancy scare, my vision went fuzzy and rage and entitlement bloomed in my head and in my heart.

I was the one who struggled then. It took every ounce of self control to steady my breathing, to clear my head of the voice that screamed in agony for her. My fist behind the couch flexed and then squeezed tighter. The dull pain of my fingernails biting into the palm of my hand kicked up a flood of endorphins, and my heartbeat thrummed in my ears. I fought to keep my reactions private, but I was starting to slip.

She was mine. She always had been and this undeserving slug of a man had taken, no matter how briefly, what I loved and wanted most and had very nearly crushed her. What was worse was the claim he had almost made on her that would have tethered her to him forever. It was ludicrous that I felt territorial regarding Bella's unborn children. It wasn't rational – it was primal and likely testosterone fueled – but if there were going to be babies, they were mine to make, to cherish and to love.

She finally stopped talking and for the first time since she began her confession, she looked at me, tentatively holding my gaze.

I raised our clasped hands to my lips, kissed the back of her hand and said, "Bella, I'm so sorry."

She nodded silently, took an unsteady breath and blew it all out – seemingly satisfied and relieved that all of her secrets had been laid bare.

"Are you okay?" I asked, dropping my chin so I could see her eyes.

"Yeah," she said, lifting her eyes to mine. "Are you?"

"Well…" I said, stalling so I could filter my anger towards James, my sadness for her and the useless guilt I felt for not having been around. She didn't need any of my stuff - I would manage all of that on my own. "Besides feeling sick and mad as hell that this happened to you, I'm fine. I've never hit anyone out of anger in my entire life, but if given the chance, I would seriously beat the living shit out him."

"Edward," she said surprised.

"You know me, Bella. I'm more of a lover than a fighter, but I'd still give almost anything for fifteen minutes alone with this guy."

She sniffled and smiled stiffly. "It wouldn't change anything."

"No, it wouldn't, but it might make me feel better," I said shifting my position on the couch. "You know this explains a lot."

"How so?" she asked.

"Your rules for dating – all of them, your take on birth control, sex, and the fact that you are constantly waiting for the proverbial rug to be pulled out from underneath you. Oh, and let's not forget the nightmares."

"Nightmares?" she asked, and then blinked several times and scrunched up her eyebrows.

"You talk in your sleep, Bella," I said quietly and waited for her reaction.

"Oh, God," she said dropping her chin to her chest.

"Most of the time you're just restless, but every now and then you say his name," I said, ghosting my thumb across the back of her hand as I held it in mine. "The first time it happened was when we were at Mom and Dad's reunion weekend."

"Shit."

"I asked Emmett about James at the barbeque," I admitted.

She bristled next to me, took her hand away from mine, slowly pulled her knees to her chest and then wrapped her arms tight around her shins. "You've known about him all this time and you didn't say anything."

"Please don't be mad," I begged and scooted closer to her so I could reach my arm around her shoulders and rubbed my palm between her shoulder blades. "It freaked me out, and I didn't want to upset you or force a conversation you weren't ready to have. Thirty-something hours after seeing each other for the first time in ten years didn't exactly seem like the right time to bring up such a big topic."

"So you went behind my back," she said more in confirmation than in question.

"You seemed so fragile and scared – even in your sleep – that I didn't think you could handle it. Hell, I didn't think I could handle it. I was pretty sure you were going to get spooked and bolt at any moment as it was, never mind bringing up some hard questions about some unimaginable asshole that gave you nightmares. So yes, I asked Emmett."

"What did he tell you?"

"CliffsNotes compared to what you just did," I said with an unintentional growl. "But it was enough to know that whatever the whole story was, I needed to keep my limited knowledge to myself and hope that one day you trusted me enough, loved me enough, to tell me."

Bella looked up at me with new tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm so ashamed," she stammered and then teetered, collapsing into my chest.

"Oh, Bella," I said, gathering her tight in my arms. "There is nothing to be ashamed about, babe."

She clutched the front of my shirt in a desperate fist and cried. Her body was tense and hard against mine. She trembled under my touch as she let her walls down and let her emotion take over. The intensity in which she cried broke all my control and my heart, and I silently cried with her.

The guilt I felt for having left her for so long – left her for such a callous man to destroy – consumed me. I knew right then that James would haunt us both, for very different reasons, forever if we let him.

When her sobs began to quiet and her breathing evened out, I roughly wiped my face and straightened up. I pushed Bella away from me, holding her at arm's length and said, "Here's the deal. He doesn't get to win, Bella. This is it – after we're all cried out here – he doesn't have any more power."

She looked at me, her face all red, puffy, tear streaked and confused.

"No more shame or guilt. No more feeling powerless –"

"Or stupid," she added.

"Yeah, especially no more feeling stupid," I said with a spark of encouragement.

She breathed a stuffy laugh and wiped her hands across her cheeks.

"It's over. What we have," – I gestured my hand between us – "he can't touch. He's gone. Banished. Okay?"

She nodded and said, "Okay."

"You're with me on this, right?" I asked. "I mean, _really_ with me."

She nodded again quickly and lunged for me, wrapping her arms tight around my neck and burying her head in the crook of my neck. "Yes," she squeaked, still nodding against my cheek.

I gathered her up in my arms and she climbed into my lap. "No one is ever going to hurt you like that again."

"Promise?" she asked against my neck.

"Promise."

We held each other tight for a good long while. Now that I finally knew what the big, bad stuff was, I could help her. And even if I couldn't help, at least I understood and could be patient and support her. I felt like I could finally protect her, but more importantly, I felt like she would finally let me.

Bella finally sighed and loosened her arms from around my neck and looked at me, her eyes searching mine.

"Are we good?" I asked.

She nodded and said, "Yeah. We're good."

"No more secrets?"

"Nope. Fresh out," she said with a smirk.

"No more scary stuff?"

"Banished."

"Good," I said and then kissed her. "You know, Bella, there is never going to be anything too scary, or too big that you can't share with me."

"I know that," she said as she ran her fingers along my jaw rubbing my week old scruff.

I tilted my head and looked at her with my eyes wide. "Oh really?"

"Well, _now_ I know," she said with a smile.

I reached up and brushed her hair away from her cheeks and her forehead with my palms and held her face.

"You didn't shave this week," she said quietly.

"No, sorry," I said, letting my eyes drift from her eyes to her lips.

"I like it." Her eyes were fixed on mine and her entire body relaxed as she breathed out a contented sigh. "I love you," she said.

"And I love you," I replied. I pulled her gently to my lips and kissed her. It wasn't a lusty, passionate kiss, but the kind of kiss that cemented my promise and my absolute devotion to her. There was no urgency and nothing to prove. It wasn't consuming or especially heated either, but rather a long, languid, open eyed, honest exchange. True love's kiss.

"What time is it?"

"It's late," I said and then looked at my watch over her shoulder. "Quarter to three."

"No wonder I'm so tired," she mumbled as a yawn strangled her words. "Let's go to bed."

"What about the kitchen? Do you want to worry with this tonight?"

"No, I don't want to do anymore packing. I don't want to do anything but go to bed, snuggle up in your arms and go to sleep," she said tucking her head between my head and my shoulder.

"Thank you, Bella," I whispered against the top of her head.

"For what?" she asked sleepily.

I kissed her temple and said, "For trusting me."

Bella hummed in reply and said, "I do trust you."

"I'm glad," I said with a yawn.

"C'mon, let's go to bed." She got up, took my hand and led me through the apartment. I slowed down to pick up the suitcase I'd left in the entry way and followed her to the bedroom.

Bella roamed around the room and the bathroom going about her normal bedtime routine. I sat on the edge of the bed, and took off my shoes, too tired to move quickly. I was wiped out. Exhaustion from my trip, the stress of the move, and the adrenaline and the sheer emotion of the conversation hit me like a brick wall. I was too tired to obsess over what I couldn't do to change things for her. And I was too thankful that she seemed to feel so much relief in sharing her secret to let the guilt seep in. I still wanted to kill the bastard, but I wanted to brush my teeth, get naked and crawl into bed more.

I pushed up off the bed, shucked my clothes in a messy pile by the bed and then shuffled to the bathroom. We brushed our teeth in silence, side by side, and then walked back to the bed. I pulled back the covers and tucked her in.

Bella snuggled up against my side with her head resting on my outstretched arm and her limbs thrown across my body. I usually don't settle in to sleep until I know she's already there, but I was so tired I didn't even remember falling asleep. All I know is that night Bella slept peacefully in my arms, and for the first time in I can't remember how many years, I slept through the night.

* * *

**End Notes: **So many of you wanted the deets on the conversation. I hope EPOV gave you all the insight you had hoped for. Can't wait to hear what you think!!


	30. Versions of Violence

A/N: I had a helluva time choosing this chapter's song. I listened to The Pretender by The Foo Fighters on repeat while I wrote and then at the end Katy and Jen just didn't think it was right. At the end of the day, Katy and Jen were right…Versions of Violence, by Alanis Morissette seemed to be so much more appropriate. Listen to both if you get the chance.

I struggle in leaving a lengthy statement or even much of a warning, as I believe that this is something you've all been expecting. I hope the chapter title sets this one up to gently warn anyone that might be sensitive to Bella's experiences in this story. It's intense but not gratuitous and is faithful to everything that I've painstakingly revealed since very early on in the story.

Thanks to Katy, Tigress and to Jen for being awesome.

The words and the story are mine, the rest belongs to SM.

* * *

BPOV

_Stuck in traffic. Be there soon. Emmett's on his way, too. See you soon! – EAC_

I had just pulled into my official, not-a-visitor-anymore, resident space in the parking garage when I received Edward's text. I quickly shot back a reply telling him I was already there and for him to take his time. I was a little nervous about walking into the new place without him because he was pretty sure that there would be some kind of work finishing up, but my curiosity was a _lot_ stronger than any apprehension I might have felt about going in alone. I couldn't wait to see the remodel. I gathered up my bags and marched across the parking lot to the elevator.

Saturday was moving day, and I was so excited. I wasn't looking forward to all of the unpacking and general displacement that moving brings, but I was looking forward to the new house and living with Edward. I was so happy…probably happier than I'd ever been. Not probably, definitely.

The loud ring of my cell phone pierced through the hollow of the parking garage. I answered it without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" I answered, balancing the phone between my cheek and shoulder, as I keyed in the access code for the elevator.

"Hey B! Whatcha doing?" Emmett asked excitedly.

"Trying to call the damn elevator at the new place. What are you doing?"

"Driving."

"You're late."

"Pfft – I'm always late," he said with a snicker. "What's the address again?"

737 Olive Way, number 2303," I replied just as the elevator doors opened.

"Cool. I'm about 10 minutes away so I'll see you in a few," he said.

"Parking is easier on Eighth Avenue, so try that first," I insisted as I got on the elevator.

"Right on. See you in a minute."

"'Kay, bye!" I said and snapped the phone shut. I shifted my bags so I could press the '23' button. I smiled to myself on the short ride thinking about the last time I'd been to the condo. This was our place – mine and Edward's. Ours. Home.

The bags draped over my shoulders and at the crook of my arm were heavy and awkward, but it didn't matter as I practically skipped down my new hallway to my new front door.

I opened the door and the dull whine of a drill, the wet, spongy sound of a paint roller on a textured wall and the soft, muffled sound of the inconsequential conversation of the crew swirled around the place. I nodded at the man painting the walls in dining – er, piano room and said a quiet, "Hello." He said, hi back and went back to his work as I made my way to the kitchen.

Holy crap! The new kitchen was incredible. I dropped my keys, phone and all the bags on the new black granite countertop. I took off my thin cotton hoodie, tied it around my waist, and then walked around the room to touch all the gorgeous new cabinets. I opened and closed nearly every cabinet and shiny, new appliance door twice as I surveyed the remodel. It was exactly the kind of kitchen I'd always wanted. I couldn't believe this was really mine. Ours.

Someone had left a bottle of champagne with an elaborate bow wrapped around the neck next to a framed photo and a card addressed to both Edward and me. Upon closer inspection – I knew it was from Alice because of the unmistakable, swirly penmanship, the intricate, over the top packaging and the photo. It was the photo of the six of us piled in Edward's bed from reunion weekend. The one I had given everyone that night at Nalla's.

I read the sweet card and put the champagne in the fridge. Picking up the frame to get a better look at the photo, I smiled. I didn't know the how or why of it, but by some great cosmic gift, I had gotten my "happily," and was eagerly looking forward to the "ever after part."

I put the frame back on the counter and opened the narrow cabinet door beside the refrigerator and found a single, short stack of red SOLO cups. I snorted a quiet laugh and then went back to the bags on the counter behind me, retrieving the housewarming present I'd bought for us.

The random noise the workers made hummed through the house while I carefully unpacked eight gorgeous Waterford crystal wine glasses and began lining them up next to the red plastic.

A loud crash and an even louder curse echoed through the condo. I looked up startled and curious, but quickly went back to my task with the wine glasses.

"God damnit, Marcus! You stupid fuck!!" someone shouted, and I spun reflexively, pressing my back flat against the fridge.

As I turned, my hand knocked two of the wine glasses off the counter. I stood completely frozen, the berating and yelling still filling the house, as I watched the fragile crystal glasses fall to their slow motion, shattered end on the floor at my feet.

_No. _

The angry tirade that reverberated through the house and my unhinged psyche shoved all the fear and dark memories that I had very literally just put to rest, to the raw and terrifying surface. The security of love and hope and all of my plans for a happy home shattered along with the pretty crystal wine glasses that were now splintered on the floor.

_How is he here?_

I took a deep breath, anddid my best to fight back the tears. The proverbial rug had been yanked, but I could have never in a million years have imagined that it would be at his hands. Not like this. I couldn't breathe.

"What now?" the frightening and familiar voice bellowed from the back room. "Jared!?"

The man who was painting the piano room, who I had to assume was Jared, was looking at me with wide eyes.

I looked back at him, shaking my head quickly and whispered, "No," over and over again.

Jared looked at me confused, opened his mouth to speak and then quickly snapped it shut.

"What did you break?"

Heat and anxiety radiated from my chest and coursed wildly throughout my body, but I remained paralyzed against the cool stainless steel of the fridge. My perfect, safe, love, home bubble has just burst at the recognition of that tone and the words that still rattled around me. The memories of my miserable, fearful, darkest days flooded my brain.

How can this be happening? How is he here? My biggest hope and my worst nightmare had inexplicably intersected, leaving me panicked and angry, and then absolutely stunned.

My instinct was to take cover and hope that it would pass. That somehow I might miraculously go unnoticed or that I might be rescued. By the painter, Jared, or that Edward or Emmett might show up and save me.

Edward's words from the night before drifted back to me. _"I'm more of a lover than a fighter, but I'd still give almost anything for fifteen minutes alone with this guy." _

_NO!_

Jared turned away from me, towards more cursing and heavy footsteps on the hardwood floors. He moved away from the wall and positioned himself between me and what, or rather who, I already knew was coming.

"I didn't break anything. Everything's cool," he finally replied and turned his back to me.

I crouched down on one knee, with the other tucked tight against my chest. I struggled to catch my breath and to stave off the panic that knotted in my throat. I glanced up and knew that I was pretty well hidden by the counter, but I also knew there was no way I was getting out of there without facing him.

"Your buddy, Marcus just dropped a quart of semi-gloss in the shower. With all of that god damned, one inch mosaic tile, he'll be lucky if he's not still scrubbing that shit a month from now, not to mention when Richy gets here," the bastard raged. "Still think everything's cool?"

My heart was racing and my hands were sweating --- no, bleeding. I turned my hands palms up and sure enough there were a couple of tiny nicks along the length of my pinky and one decent gash on the fleshy part of my hand. A few ruby red drops of blood dripped to the floor amongst the broken glass.

"Who's Richy?" Jared asked.

"What?"

"You said, "Richy." I thought his name was Cullen."

"Richy – Cullen – what the fuck do you care what I call this piece of shit who doesn't deserve what he's got," he growled. "You're not very smart are you?"

Jared said something low and quiet that I couldn't quite make out.

"God, I hate a mumbler," he seethed. "Just shut up and go help Marcus."

I listened to his rant, shrinking further into myself – but when he said "Cullen," my flight instinct kicked in.

_Edward. Get out. Get to Edward._

I began to crawl across the floor trying to avoid as much of the glass as possible as I moved. The shards of crystal crunched under the weight of my knees and pricked me through the denim of my jeans.

I paused for a second and then heard the heavy boots closing in on me. I pressed my hands to the floor, the tiny crystal slivers biting into my palms, and scampered to my feet, readying myself to run for the door.

I was only partially upright when I heard him laughing at me. "Well lookie here."

I stood up with my back to him, the fear tingling down my spine and prickling the hairs on my neck and arms. With all hope of flight gone, I steadied my breathing and summoned the courage to fight.

"_He doesn't get to win…"_ Edward's promise carved a path through my cluttered thoughts as I prepared for battle.

"Hello, James."

James put one hand on the new black granite countertop and put the other on his hip, settling into a comfortable stance and said, "I hoped you might show up before this job was over."

I didn't say anything, but stared back at him trying in vain not to give him any indication of fear or my surprise.

"How did I know?" he asked as he slowly uncoiled, walked to the picture frame and picked it up. "I didn't, until I saw this and read the little love letter from that bitch, Alice."

I watched him carefully and moved when he did, making sure to leave a good bit of distance between us.

"You know, I never liked her," he said fingering the glass that covered the photo. "And that Emmett is a maniac. You should really be more careful who you associate with."

"He'll be here any minute," I said hoping the threat might keep him at bay.

"Who? The maniac? Or your new, rich boyfriend?" he asked leveling a familiar angry stare at me.

"Both."

"Mm hmm…" he hummed as a menacing smile crept across his face. He moved around the kitchen – me mirroring his movement. "Well, nobody's here now."

I took my eyes off James for a moment and glanced to the piano room, looking for Jared. When I did, I lost track of James' path and my bearings. I felt the hard edge of the counter bite into my back before I realized I was trapped.

Glass crunched under his boots as he moved slowly towards me. "Just you and me…as it should be."

_Fight! _

"There is no you and me," I said defiantly.

He closed the distance between us and said, "Ah – but there is Isabella. I told you I'd never let you go." He reached out and curled a lock of my hair in his fingers.

I snapped my head to the side, the hair falling away from his fingers. "Edward will –"

"Don't," he said in a low, aggressive tone as he clenched his fist beside my face. He closed his eyes and his face twisted in anger. "Don't say his name. He's a thief, Isabella. He's stolen you from me."

"Stolen me?" I asked incredulously. "I don't belong to you!"

"Oh, but you do," he said opening his eyes and moving his hand to my shoulder. His eyes were black and empty as his hand slid across my shoulder to my neck. "You always will."

His rough touch on my neck sent repulsion, not fear, through me. "Never."

"Always," he said turning his hand over so that his thumb was positioned over my throat as he tightened his grip on my neck.

I wasn't going down like this without hurting him – even if only with my words. "I love Edward."

He let out an exhausted sigh and brought his other hand to my neck. "Why don't you ever do as I say?"

I stared back at him, my jaw set, ignoring the feel of his hands on my throat.

"I told you not to say his name," he said through gritted teeth and squeezing tighter. "Why do you always make me hurt you?"

"Edward," I choked out and with very little leverage, but all the strength I could muster, I jerked my knee up and delivered a swift shot to his groin.

James' eyes shot open in shock. Then I watched the surprise quickly flash to pain across his not-so-smug face. "You bitch," he groaned as his hands fell from my neck to his crotch. Grunting in agony, he bent at the waist and staggered away from me. I kicked out with my right leg and hit him square in the chest, knocking him backwards into the mess of glass on the floor. I stood over him, adrenaline coursing through me for a brief second before I snapped out of my satisfaction at having finally fought back and ran for the door.

I was afraid he might come after me and catch me waiting for the elevators. Bleeding, freaked out and totally amped up, I ran down the hall to the stairwell. My legs burned and the cuts on my knees and hands were stinging by the time I reached the lobby. Twenty three floors were probably enough distance, but not nearly enough for me. I burst through the doors and kept running.

I'd gone a few blocks before I realized it was raining. I slowed to a jog and then stopped all together. I patted down my pockets and cursed out loud. No keys and no phone. I couldn't go back, couldn't call anyone and now, I couldn't go home.

I thought about Edward and what James might do. I'd gotten in a pretty good shot and smiled at the image of him rolling around in the broken glass, holding his junk.

I looked around, completely lost and not sure what to do or which direction to go and then glanced down at myself. I was a mess. My clothes were soaked from the steady Seattle drizzle, and there were dozens of tiny nicks and larger cuts on my hands. The rush of adrenaline had nearly subsided, and everything began to hurt. Not sure what to do, I untied my sweater from around my waist, put it on and started walking.

EPOV

Work had been nothing but one giant distraction and rush hour traffic was maddening, but all of that frustration disappeared when I finally put the Volvo in park next to Bella's Audi. The excitement in seeing her, in making a home with her, snuffed out all the other useless emotion as I made my way from the garage to our new home.

I walked through the front door and called out for her. No answer.

I rounded the corner and saw an abandoned roller and paint tray by the piano. Distracted briefly by the new color on the wall, I didn't give it much thought.

"Bella?" I called again. Still no answer.

I went to the kitchen and saw the bags on the counter. She's here somewhere, I thought, but then noticed something on the far kitchen counter. I crossed the kitchen, smiling as the photo came into focus. Something crunched under my feet, stopping me suddenly in my tracks. I looked down at the floor and saw broken glass and something spilled or drizzled in odd patterns. I squatted down and ran my index finger across one of the little specks and it smeared red under the pressure of my finger against the floor. Blood.

"Shit."

I looked around trying to asses what happened. One cabinet door was ajar next to the fridge. On the floor by the fridge were two empty boxes marked "Waterford Crystal Marquis." I trudged across the broken glass to find SOLO cups and six new wine glasses.

I loosened my tie and stood there with my hands on my hips trying to figure out what the hell happened. I fished my phone out of my pocket, poised and ready to call her when it dawned on me that she must have dropped a couple of glasses. The leap to assume that she must've cut herself when she was trying to pick up the pieces was easy to deduce. Maybe she was in the bathroom cleaning up. I heard movement in the back room. "Bella?"

"Nope, not Bella," a man's voice grumbled.

I looked down the hallway and saw the foreman, J.R. limping towards me.

"Oh, hey," I said by way of a greeting, disappointed and then concerned that it wasn't Bella.

J.R. looked a little off. His hand hovered protectively in front of him and the limp was more pronounced as he got closer. His face was twisted in pain and he looked ashen.

I should've probably asked if he was okay, but instead I asked, "Have you seen my girlfriend? Her stuff is here, but I can't find her."

J.R. kept moving past me to the kitchen. "She was here earlier. This mess is hers," he said in an odd accusing tone, sweeping a hand around the room.

"Looks like she dropped a glass," I said nudging the broken glass on the floor with my foot.

"Typical," J.R. said under his breath as he reached for a red cup.

"Excuse me?" I asked looking up at him.

He filled the cup with water from the sink and took a long drink before he answered me. "Bull in a china shop. She just seemed the type."

"Huh," I grunted, annoyed that he'd passed judgment on Bella.

I pressed 'send' on my open phone and waited for the familiar ring in my ear. That soft digital hum that confirmed the connection was suddenly interrupted by the very loud and very present song of her ringtone. Here.

Startled, I looked around the surface areas for her phone. I moved the bags she'd left on the counter and there, next to her purse were her keys and her flashing, still ringing phone.

"Shit," I whispered. "Where are you?"

"Something must've spooked her," J.R. said smugly. For the second time in our brief exchange he's said something off color about Bella.

"What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" I asked.

He didn't reply but shrugged with implied indifference.

A loud pounding on the front door followed by a silly, falsetto, "housekeeping," interrupted our stand off.

"In the kitchen, Emmett," I called over my shoulder and then turned back to J.R. His posture was visibly different when I looked back at him. His dark, smarmy eyes weren't on me anymore but instead were fixed across the room just past the edge of the kitchen. It was a look of anticipation, but why?

"Somebody call for a furniture mover?" he quipped loudly, his voice seemingly set J.R. even more on edge.

"Have you heard from Bella?" I asked without taking my eyes off the now twitchy foreman.

"I talked to her about 15 minutes ago. Why?"

"She's not here," I answered.

"She was when –"

When Emmett turned the corner and stepped into J.R.'s sightline, he froze and instantly tensed up. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

I looked between them, surprised by Emmett's aggressive body language and J.R.'s obvious discomfort.

"I have a restraining order," J.R. replied.

"A restraining order?"

Emmett snorted. "It's expired, asshole," he said and then rushed across the room. He landed one solid punch and J.R. went down.

I was completely shocked. Emmett moved too fast for me to fully understand what he'd done. It was crazy. Bella had disappeared, Emmett had just sucker punched my construction foreman, and I was completely dumbstruck.

"Stand up, you coward!" Emmett bellowed as he backed away from J.R. just enough to give him room to stand. And when he got back on his feet, Emmett hit him again.

"Fucking hell," I shouted as I moved to pull a towering, threatening Emmett away from him. I dragged Emmett tight against my chest and pulled him backwards with me.

"Let me go," Emmett growled.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I asked, trying to keep him reigned in.

J.R. laughed quietly as he stood up and then turned to spit in my new sink. He lifted his eyebrows as if to ask, is that all you've got? Emmett went suddenly scary still in my arms.

"Where is she?" he asked through gritted teeth. "You tell me now, or I swear to God, I'll kill you."

"She left," J.R. said.

"Let me go, Edward," Emmett said calmly.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked. "How do you know J.R.? And _why_ do you want to kill him?"

J.R. laughed again.

"Edward, I'm begging you. Let. Me. Go."

"Haven't figured it out yet, have you, Rich boy?" J.R. taunted.

Dread and fear settled in my stomach. "Emmett, what's he talking about?"

"Let me go, and I'll tell you," he promised, every muscle twitching to be set free.

I released him slowly but cautiously, sure I was going to have to restrain him again.

Emmett stood in front of me, clenching his fists, a heavy energy coming off of him in waves.

Without turning to look at me, he sniffed quickly and said, "Edward, meet James."

I sucked in a breath through my nose and tensed at the ugly realization.

"James, meet Edward," he said as he stepped to the side, leaving nothing between me and the man who had tortured Bella.

"James?"

"James."

"You son-of-a-bitch!" I yelled and then barreled past Emmett like a linebacker and tackled James.

He was smiling when my fist connected just below his left eye. The sickening crunch of bone and a muffled yelp only fueled my fury. The second and third punch didn't yield the same kind of result but they were both just as righteous.

I knocked him to the ground and kept up with a barrage of punishing hits. He tried to fight me off, but my rage could not be assuaged.

_Not enough_.

I don't know how many times I hit him, or for how long Emmett let me pummel him before he tried to pull me off him.

I fought against Emmett's grip, surprised at how desperate I was to hurt this guy.

"Whoa!" Emmett yelled as he wrapped me in a tight hold, his arms pinning my own tight to my sides, physically lifting me off James. "C'mon, man, that's enough."

_Not nearly enough_.

"Where is she?" I asked in a voice that I didn't recognize as my own as I struggled against Emmett's bear hug.

Emmett grunted behind me, clearly straining to keep me locked down.

James sat on the kitchen floor, slumped against the cabinets. His skin was blotchy and swollen, the evidence of Emmett's and my rage. Bella's restitution was mapped across his bloody face. He didn't answer my question.

"Where?!" I demanded causing James to flinch.

He swiped the back of his hand across his mouth and mumbled something I couldn't understand.

"Listen, fucker, if you don't tell us right this second where she is, I'm going to let him go," Emmett warned. "Only this time when he beats your ass, I'm gonna help."

"Where is she?" I asked again, shirking out of Emmett's arms and moving to stand over James.

"She left," a quiet voice replied from behind me.

Emmett and I spun around to find two guys decked out in white, splattered coveralls, standing just past the kitchen.

"When?" Emmett and I asked in unison.

The two men looked at each other and then back at us. One of them shrugged and said, "I dunno, maybe ten minutes ago."

I looked desperately at Emmett – I didn't know what to do. My mind was racing. The adrenaline and shock made me tremble and numb all at the same time. I couldn't decide what I should do first.

"I saw her there," the painter said pointing across the room to the fridge, "and then when J.R. started yelling, she broke something and kind of flipped out."

"Did she say anything?" Emmett asked.

"Not to me," he replied.

I was pacing in a tight circle, glass crunching under my feet. I flexed my hand gingerly, the adrenaline likely numbing most of the pain I should have felt from hitting James.

"Call her," Emmett suggested.

"I did," I said reaching across the counter to show him the evidence. "She left her phone, her keys and her purse."

"Shit," Emmett whispered.

James groaned in the corner. His boot slipped out from underneath him when he tried to stand.

"Sit the fuck down, asshole," Emmett ordered, pointing a finger at him. "You're not going anywhere."

"Call Alice," I finally said. My brain began clicking and turning, and I was almost instantly clear about what I needed to do. "Have her call the contractor and then the police."

"What are you going to do?"

"I have to find her," I said as I gathered up her belongings. "Call Rosalie and Jasper, too. We have to find her."

I turned to walk away and heard James pleading, "You can't leave me with him."

"I can and I will. And if you're lucky you might still be breathing when your boss and the cops get here."

"I got this, E," Emmett said. "You go."

"You're both going to jail for this," James said with a sick smile.

"Maybe," Emmett said thoughtfully. "But just like last time, it'd be worth it."

James stiffened against the cabinets and carefully considered his fate or maybe his bad luck. He sighed and while obviously intimidated, he seemed to surrender.

Emmett closed in on James, taunting him like an animal teasing his prey.

I couldn't worry about Emmett - I had to find Bella.

"Call me if you hear anything or if someone finds her before I do," I said "Oh, and don't kill him, Emmett. Bella would never forgive either one of us if you got nicked for murder."

"Jesus," James yelped.

"It's not fun being scared, is it douche bag?" Emmett asked squatting down in front of James so their eyes were level.

"Careful, Emmett," I warned as I walked away.

"I'm not gonna kill him," Emmett assured me. "I'm just going to spend a little quality time with him until the rest of the party gets here. Besides, we've got witnesses."

"I'd appreciate it if you guys would stick around," I said to the construction workers. One of them looked at me with wide eyes and a slack jaw while the other kept his eyes on Emmett and nodded quickly. Neither of them looking very sure that Emmett could resist the temptation to kill James whether they were there or not.

"Go," Emmett yelled from the kitchen. "We'll be fine, won't we?"

"You can't do this," James whimpered.

"Oh, but I can, you sick bastard," Emmett said with a laugh.

Within minutes I was in my car, tearing through the parking garage and planning my search. Her office was closest, so I'd start there. Then I'd try her apartment, the coffee shop, Nalla's, the police station, and then the hospitals. Oh God. Hospitals.

"Where are you?" I said under my breath.

I stopped at the garage exit waiting for a break in traffic, and looked at my shaking hands on the steering wheel. I couldn't grip the wheel very tightly with my right hand. It didn't hurt yet, not really anyway, but it was going to. My knuckles were swollen and a little bloody, and I was pretty sure I'd be in a cast by night's end. It didn't matter. All that mattered was finding Bella.

* * *

E/N: And there you have it. J.R. is who you all thought he was and Edward got his fifteen minutes. Of all the chaps that came before it, I'm most interested in hearing what you thought about this one. Xoxo!!


	31. My Hero

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who keeps coming back for more and special thanks to those of you who continue to comment. I appreciate you all for indulging me in this totally selfish endeavor. **

**The chapter song was hard to choose for this update. Paramore does an acoustic cover of Hero, which was originally recorded by the Foo Fighters. I love Dave Grohl, but since this chapter is from Bella's POV, I had to go with Hayley. You can find a good version of the song on youtube. **

**Big hugs and loves to Tigress and Katy for the ever faithful beta reads on Resto. **

**Disclaimer: The plot and the words are mine, the rest belongs to SM. **

BPOV

Adrenaline was a tricky, physiological bitch. While it wrapped me in a warm armor during and immediately after my confrontation with James, it had slowly seeped out of my system on the long walk across town. I was completely raw and exhausted by the time I entered my building. With a trembling hand I pushed the button for my neighbor, Dimitri's apartment, hoping he was home and that he still had my spare key. When he didn't answer, I wrapped my wet sweater tighter around me and quickly scanned the resident list hopeful that I might recognize the name of an acquaintance who might buzz me in. I'd lived in the building for nearly two years but the fact that I couldn't recall a single name on the board made me want to cry…again.

I sighed heavily and was nearly resigned to sit on the bench under the bus shelter across the street to wait for whichever friend might be looking for me when a vaguely familiar neighbor pushed open the interior door.

"Did you lock yourself out, sweetheart?" the elderly gentleman asked.

I looked up at him with relief and enormous gratitude. "Yes."

I'd still be locked out of my apartment but at least I wouldn't be out in the drizzle, sitting on some nasty bench. The nice, climate controlled, carpeted hallway would be infinitely better.

He held the door open for me and said, "Well, come on in."

"Thank you," I replied and slipped past him, my wet Cons squeaking on the floor as I did.

"Better get out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold," he suggested before he turned away to leave.

"Yes, sir." _Just as soon as someone shows up with a key or I figure out how to pick a lock_, I thought. I pushed the elevator call button and even though I was wet, cold to the bone and my hands and knees stung from dozens of tiny cuts, I was relieved to be – _shit!_

This wasn't supposed to be home. Home was supposed to be 737 Olive Way, not here. Without being entirely aware, tears began to slip down my cheeks. I got to my apartment, checked the doorknob – just in case – but found it locked. I leaned back against the door and the silent tears turned to a full on cry as my tired body and mind surrendered. My legs gave out, and I slid down to rest on the floor.

I drew my legs up to my chest, folded my arms on top of my knees, buried my head and cried. I wasn't sad, scared or angry, and every other emotion I tried to identify didn't seem to fit either. I was just completely spent and tired of running…from everything.

Standing up to James and fighting back had made me feel empowered. Hoping that Edward would discover that James was J.R. both frightened and satisfied me. Knowing that Emmett would, well…be Emmett and scare the bejesus out of James entertained me. But more than all of that, standing up to James and finding the courage to deliver that solitary, and hopefully sterilizing shot to his family jewels, had freed me.

My body began to warm up and soon the tears dried up. _Someone would be here soon_, I thought. My mind drifted aimlessly and my eyelids grew heavy. For a long time I lingered somewhere in that odd, foggy space between consciousness and a nap. Waiting.

The far away muffled, hollow ping of the elevator pulled me from the edge of a dream, and I peeked up to check the hall.

Alice burst into the hall from the elevator and then froze stock still when she saw me. She tipped her head slightly and her lips pressed into a pout. I could see her eyes glistening with tears from where I sat.

"He was at the house today, Alice," I said, my own tears welling up again.

She nodded, biting her bottom lip in an effort to keep it together. She barely choked out an acknowledgement, and then, the ugly cry-face and the tears overtook her. She tucked her chin and walked towards me.

Alice collapsed, sobbing beside me and wrapped her little arms around my shoulders. She stuttered breathless apologies as she stroked my hair and continued to cry.

"You don't have to be sorry, Al. It's okay," I said trying to console her. "I'm okay."

She fussed over me for a few seconds more and then settled down beside me. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I said as I stretched my legs out in front of me, crossing my ankles.

"No, it's not," she said quietly. She dropped her head in shame, unable to look at me as she spoke. "I recommended that contractor. I told Edward he could trust me, and I led James straight back to you."

I exhaled a heavy breath, taking a moment to process her confession. "You didn't do it on purpose though. I mean, you didn't know he – "

"God, no!!," she exclaimed as she wiped her hand across her cheeks and under her runny nose.

"Okay then – no more apologies," I said turning to look at her.

"Did he hurt you?" she asked. "Emmett said there was broken glass everywhere and some blood."

"I broke some wine glasses and cut my hands before James even found me," I explained, turning my palms up to show her the damage I'd done. "I cut my knees up a bit, too."

Alice took my hands in hers and asked, "What did you do? It looks like you crawled through that broken glass!"

"Well…I did," I said picking at a tiny sliver of glass still buried in my hand. "I thought I could sneak out and crawling seemed like the best option. Hindsight, it probably wasn't."

Alice examined me as I talked, no doubt checking for more evidence or injuries. "What's that on your neck?"

I reached up and ran my fingers across my throat. It was tender where James' hands had been. "I don't know. Is it bad?"

She wrapped her fingers around mine and moved my hand out of the way. "Mother fucker. Did he choke you?"

"He tried."

"What do you mean, '_he tried_?'" she asked as she took my chin in her hands and turned my head from side to side. "You've got bruises all over your neck!"

"I mean - he _tried_. And then, when I kicked him in the crotch, he let go," I said.

"You did?" she asked with total surprise.

I nodded and waited for her reaction.

"Oh, Bella! Emmett is going to be so proud of you!"

"I'm kind of proud of me, too," I said with a sly smile on my face.

"Good girl!" she praised me and patted my thigh. "You're soaking wet."

"Yeah, I know. Do you have a key so I can go inside and take a shower and change?"

"Of course." She hopped to her feet and unlocked the door. She offered me her hand and helped me up. "Let's get you inside."

"Alice, where's Edward?" I asked as I shuffled slowly into my apartment. My tired legs trembled and the new blisters on my heels burned as I walked.

"Oh, shit! We should call him," she said, digging in her bag for her phone. "Everyone is out looking for you. Why don't you go shower and change, and I'll make some calls."

"I left my phone at the new house," I said as I walked past her to my bedroom, navigating a narrow path lined with moving boxes. "And my purse and my keys…"

"Don't worry about that stuff, Bella. I think Edward has it," she said pecking at buttons on her phone. "You go clean up and get warm. I'll be here if you need anything."

I nodded and stripped out of my wet clothes on my way to the bathroom. I took a good look at my knees and my neck before I got into the shower. I was a mess, but couldn't help but feel a little more than pleased that I'd taken back all the power I'd ever given James, and maybe a bit of his pride when I'd fought back. I felt pretty beat up, but I was fine. I was more than fine, I was free.

I couldn't wait to tell Edward.

As I stood in the steaming shower, I imagined what might have happened when Edward and Emmett showed up. Thinking about it made me nervous and anxious. They were fine; I knew they were fine. At least that's what I told myself in an effort to keep from getting completely worked up about it.

I finished my shower and opened the door to find Alice holding a towel open for me. Without being bossy, and with an uncharacteristic tenderness, she insisted on taking care of me. She doctored my hands and my knees, brushed my hair and had even dug through moving boxes to find my favorite pair of mis-matched sweats.

I dressed while she tended to me. She told me how Emmett had flipped out on James and then what Edward had done when he found out "J.R." was "James." When I asked where they were, she hesitated to tell me. I sat down on the edge of the tub and my heart lurched in my throat when she finally spilled the beans. All I really heard was "hospital" and "questioned by the police." My escalating anxiety forced the familiar, I-mean-business, large and in charge, Alice into action.

"We need to go to the police station so you can give a statement," she said as she flitted around the room picking up my wet clothes. "Emmett thinks it might help their situation."

"Did they get arrested?" I asked, nearly frantic at the thought.

"No, not yet," she said optimistically. "But we need to make sure that asshole doesn't press charges."

"How do we do that?"

"By exposing his dirty deeds," she said, gesturing to my neck, "and hoping that he's got some kind of prior record or charges for domestic abuse."

I was already out of the bathroom and rooting through a box looking for shoes before she finished her sentence. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Alice drove to the police station and then sat beside me while we waited for someone to take my statement. She talked on the phone, updating Jasper and Rosalie and Lord only knows who else, relaying the whole sordid story over and over again. The more I heard her talk about it, the more surreal and distant it seemed. It was almost as if it had happened to someone else, not me. Not us.

When the uniformed policeman finally called me back, I was determined to do or say whatever I needed to in order to spare all of us from any more trouble with James. I gave my statement and at the encouragement and advice of the officer, I filed for a permanent restraining order and criminal assault charges against James. We left the police station not knowing if my statement would help or not. Alice was convinced, and I was hopeful, but the fact that she couldn't reach either of them on their cell phones had me worried.

On the drive home, Alice fielded phone calls from Rosalie and Jasper doing her best to speak in some kind of choppy code, as if I wouldn't understand the conversation or the consequences of their actions. There was a very real possibility that my efforts to save Edward and Emmett from getting arrested had failed. She tried to reassure me that they were going to be fine – promising me they wouldn't be punished for their heroics. I wanted so badly to believe her, but I couldn't. I wouldn't, until I laid eyes on them.

I paced nervously around my bedroom, fussing with more packing and busy work. There was still no word from anyone about the guys. Rosalie and Jasper were on Cullen duty and Alice was at home with me on Bella duty. It was almost nine when she finally wore me down, insisting that I relax. I took the pills she offered, and I let her tuck me into bed.

Alice sat beside me, her back against the headboard as she soothed me, gently running her fingers through my hair. Whether it was sheer exhaustion or pharmaceutical assistance, there came a time when I couldn't resist the urge to sleep. I tried to fight it, and every now and again, I'd groggily ask for Edward. She'd shush me and promise me that he'd be here soon. I took comfort in my sweet friend, turned towards her and fell asleep with my head in her lap.

I woke up hours later – it could have been days for all I knew – confused and in a bit of a panic. The blinds were drawn and the body behind me was too big and familiar to have been Alice. I turned over slowly to find Edward sleeping beside me. I scooted closer to him and settled on my side, my face inches from his. He was lying on his side, his cheek resting on his bicep. His arm was bent at the elbow and a fresh, white cast was propped up against the headboard above his head. His long fingers were swollen and discolored, and curled over the edge of the plaster. I immediately felt guilty knowing that he'd been hurt because of me.

I reached up gently and brushed a stray strand of hair away from his perfect brow.

Edward drew in a heavy breath through his nose, startling me. In a sleepy, hoarse voice he all but whispered, "Hey, Sugar."

"Hey," I replied, snuggling closer to him. I kissed him and he wrapped his good arm around my waist pulling me tighter against him. "Alice told me about your hand. Is it broken?"

"In three places," he said nuzzling his nose against my jaw.

"Does it hurt?"

"Nope," he said dragging out the word lethargically as his lips grazed my neck. "Vicodin is magic."

I scissored my legs, gently working them between and around his. "I think Alice gave me Valium."

"Hmm…that explains why I couldn't wake you up," he said burying his face into his pillow against the top of my head. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. "We can talk about it tomorrow."

"I kicked his ass, Bella," Edward mumbled.

"I heard," I said stifling a yawn and a giggle at the same time. "My hero."

"Love you," he said quietly.

"I love you, too," I whispered in reply.

His grip around my waist went slack and his breathing grew heavy. Wrapped in the warmth and absolute safety of my one true love, I fell asleep knowing that it was all finally over.

**E/N: **_**SIGH**_**…all is well. Everyone feel better now that B is back in Edward's arms? **


	32. Real Love

**A/N: For all of my long suffering, die hard readers – some of you have been with me since I started posting Resto – I'm so glad you've stuck it out to the end…well, almost the end. You'll be glad, or sad to know that there are only two more updates, one final chapter and an epilogue. Yea! I hope you enjoy the last lovely bits of this story that I love so much. Thank you!**

**Thanks for Tigress and Katydid for their commitment to me and to Restoration. I couldn't have done it without them. Love you guys!**

**The song is a John Lennon song, Real Love, covered by Regina Spektor. You can find it on YouTube – take some time to take a listen. You'll love it!**

**Disclaimer: Plot and words are mine – everything belongs to SM. **

BPOV

I woke up Saturday morning to find Alice sitting on the edge of my bed, whispering my name over and over like an impatient two year old. I wasn't ready to wake up yet, but I didn't want her to wake up Edward either, so I cracked one eye open in acknowledgement and promptly gave her the stink eye.

"Sorry to wake you," she whispered.

I closed my eye and snuggled deeper under the covers. "No, you're not."

"I am, too," she said quietly defending herself.

I snorted at her and slowly dragged the covers up over my head.

In a forceful whisper she said, "Listen, you don't have to get up, but the movers are supposed to be here in an hour, and I need to know if you want me to call and cancel –"

I interrupted her mid-sentence by flinging the blankets away from my face and looking at her like she was mad.

"Or not," she concluded.

I looked over my shoulder with envy at a still sleeping Edward, blissfully unaware of Alice's intrusion.

I grumbled and motioned for Alice to move, and then begrudgingly kicked my legs free of the warmth of my bed. I staggered out of the bedroom with Alice on my tail. After I shut the bedroom door behind us, I slowly ambled to the kitchen and asked, "Why would we cancel the movers?"

"Well, considering what transpired yesterday…"

Clearly agitated, I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.

"Don't give me that look, missy," she said trumping my crossed arms with her own defiant stance of hands on her hips. "It's a perfectly reasonable assumption."

"Alice, my entire life is packed and waiting for someone to move it," I said gesturing around the room at all the boxes stacked around us. "Why would we cancel?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said sarcastically. "Maybe the fact that your batshit crazy ex had unlimited access to that house for three weeks without anyone noticing? Or that he nearly chocked you to death – don't roll your eyes at me! I'm being serious here, Bella!"

"I'm serious too, Alice," I replied, opening the fridge to get a bottle of water. "It's moving day, and I'm not going to let James or anyone else take this away from me."

"You don't have to do this."

"Do what exactly?" I asked as I twisted off the bottle cap and took a long drink.

"Pretend like everything is okay," she said.

"I'm not pretending," I replied quickly.

She didn't respond, but one, I'm-not-buying-your-usual-bullshit, eyebrow shot up, challenging my position.

"Look, I appreciate the concern, and you're probably right to question me, but I am telling you, nothing that happened yesterday changes my plans."

"But James –"

"Is a twisted soul who has taken too much from me already. He doesn't get to take my house and my present happiness, too," I said.

"Are you sure about _this _house, because last night Edward was ready to sell it and find something else. Something that didn't have James' fingerprints all over it," she said eyeing the bruises on my neck.

"Really?"

"Really."

I sighed and leaned back against the counter, quietly considering the prospect of a new house. One free of any memory of James. I reached up and rubbed my sore neck and then took my pendant between my fingers. No. I shook off the thought. A new house wouldn't have that view or that white shag carpet. A new house wouldn't carry the sweet memory of that first, special night we'd spent there.

It was my experience that good didn't always win, but in the past few months I'd come to believe that it could. For me and Edward, it would.

"Do you think that's what he wants to do?" I asked as I examined the little nicks and cuts on my hands.

"Honestly?"

I looked at her and nodded.

"It's a great house, and he got it for a steal, but I think – no, I know – he'd do anything for you. Move-in, sell it – whatever you wanted, he would do it," she said.

I took another drink and then pushed away from the counter. "I need to talk to Edward."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Rally the troops, Alice," I said as I walked past her on the way back to the bedroom. "We'll be up and ready when the movers get here."

"You got it," she replied happily.

I turned the doorknob and quietly pushed open the door to find Edward sprawled on his back and still sleeping peacefully.

I crawled onto the bed and sat next to him, careful not to disturb him. His hair was perfectly mussed against the pillow and a whisper of a snore slipped past his slightly parted lips. I smiled realizing that this was the first time Edward had out slept me. He was so peaceful and his features so serene, I was going to enjoy the moment.

I marveled at the bluish tint of his eyelids and the length of his thick, dark eyelashes against his pale skin. I tucked my arms into my lap and leaned closer to see every individual ginger colored whisker that peppered his jaw, chin and upper lip. I took a little extra time to memorize the curve of the cupids bow and dark pink of his lips.

I must have gotten too close and tickled him with my breath, because my quiet inspection was violently interrupted by a swinging cast. He clocked me on the side of the head and somehow got himself, too.

"Ow!" I whispered while Edward only whined and moaned a little as he gingerly cradled his arm.

"That hurt," Edward said hoarsely.

"What? Your head or your hand?" I asked rubbing what would soon be a knot on the side of my head.

"Both," he said holding his casted arm against his chest and laughing. "What are you doing?"

"Watching you sleep," I confessed quietly.

He cracked open his sleepy eyes and smiled back at me. "One of my favorite past times."

"I can see the appeal," I said as I leaned over and kissed him lightly. "Morning."

Edward hummed, ran his hand from my hip to my shoulder and kissed me again before he replied, "Morning."

"How's your hand?"

"Broken," he replied dryly.

If I hadn't felt so guilty, I probably would have laughed or smacked him for being a smart ass. Instead, I bristled at his reply.

He rubbed his hand up and down my arm and asked, "So…you want to talk about it?"

"We kind of have to, don't we?" I asked as I picked at my cuticles. "I mean, we did promise no more secrets and all."

"Full disclosure," he said and then with his casted arm protectively across his chest he used his good arm to leverage himself into a sitting position. Resting against the headboard, he winced in pain as he fussed with the covers.

I reached over and fluffed the pillow behind him. "Do you need a pain pill?"

"Probably, but I want to talk about this with a clear head," he said closing his eyes and relaxing against the pillow.

"I don't want you to be in any pain," I said reaching out to touch his forearm.

"Pain is relative, Bella," he said as he opened his eyes and looked at me. "My hand hurts, but not knowing what happened yesterday or how you got those bruises on your neck or how else he might have hurt you is even more painful."

I understood his point. I looked down at his cast and then back to his sweet, clearly tortured eyes. "Pill first and then we talk."

"Just one though," he said reluctantly agreeing. "If you give me two, I'll be too loopy to talk in half an hour."

I leaned in to kiss him quickly and then reached over to the night stand for a pill and the bottle of water I'd brought from the kitchen.

With medication duly administered, I gave up all the gritty details of the day before. I told him about my excitement on seeing the finished kitchen, how giddy I had been in putting our new Waterford wine glasses in the cabinet next to the SOLO cups, and how happy I'd been, knowing that this was our house. His jaw tightened and narrowed his eyes a bit when I told him about how I freaked out when I heard James' voice and registered my circumstance. I did my best not to skip the details. Full disclosure was hard. My voice faltered a little when I told him how James had put his hands on me and how scared I was.

"Nothing I ever did or said stopped him, or even got much of a rise out of him before, but yesterday I found a chink in the armor and my strength at the same time," I said.

"What's that?" he asked as he took my hand.

"You."

He smiled slightly and asked, "Me?"

"When I told him that I loved you, he flinched," I said as I threaded my fingers in his.

"And then what?"

"Well, that's when he tried to choke me, but by that point I'd already found all my courage and my will to fight back. Poor bastard didn't know what happened until he was on his back holding his crotch groaning in pain," I said proudly.

He laughed, seeming relieved and pleased. "That explains the limp."

"I should think so," I said with a giggle. "For the last couple of years Emmett has been militant with both me and Alice on our self defense training."

"He'll be so proud," Edward replied.

"That's what Alice said."

"Alright, so he's down for the count, what happened next?" he asked.

"I ran."

"You ran all the way home?"

"Mostly, I walked, but yeah. Alice found me in the hall waiting for someone to show up with a key," I said.

"Why didn't you go to the police?" he asked.

"I didn't think about it," I answered. "I just wanted to get the hell out of there and home where I knew someone would eventually find me. I wouldn't have gone to the police if Alice hadn't suggested it might help you guys."

"Ah," he said quietly nodding.

"Speaking of which…"

He sighed and adjusted his position against the pillows. "Well, we're not felons yet."

"Yet? What do you mean, '_yet_'?"

"I mean 'yet'," he replied. "I don't know how this is going to end."

"Why don't you tell me how it began?" I suggested.

I detected a twinge of shame mixed with satisfaction as Edward described how his experience with James played out. How shocked he'd been when Emmett attacked James and then how he felt when he learned J.R.'s true identity. He inspected his broken arm and tried to wiggle his fingers as he told me about how numb and blind he'd been when he'd punched James.

"Hitting him…punishing him for what he'd done to you, avenging you…didn't feel like I thought it would," he said thoughtfully.

"No?"

"It felt better," he admitted. "Better than it should have."

"Does that bother you," I asked ducking my head so I could catch a glimpse of his diverted eyes.

"A little," he said lifting his eyes to mine, "but I'd do it all over again – broken hand and charges pending included – because he deserved it."

"So now what?" I asked.

"Well, I'm not sure," he said. "Yes, he assaulted you, but what Emmett and I did wasn't exactly what the police would call 'just cause.' I mean, at the time we didn't know he'd done anything. We just assumed, and James being the smarmy prick that he is, didn't tell us otherwise. The officer who took your statement last night let us go without pressing formal charges, but still, we broke the law. Best case scenario, we hope that your report and the long list of domestic violence charges in his past trumps our assault of a known offender."

"Oh, Edward," I said, quietly worrying about the resolution, knowing I'd been the cause of all of it. "What's the worst case scenario?"

He sighed again and seemed reluctant to reply. "It's different for Emmett because he had that charge a few years ago from the little show down in the park. Because it's the same parties involved, it's a little more precarious."

"Shit," I cursed under my breath at the gravity of the situation.

"But we don't know anything yet, Bella," he said, quickly reassuring me.

"What about you?" I asked, afraid of facing another scary reality.

Edward shrugged non-chalantly and said, "Meh, a lesser assault charge and orders to pay restitution. No big deal."

"Assault?" I asked horrified. "Restitution?"

"Well, I did beat the shit out of him, Bella," he said with a dark laugh. "It's not like he came after me first and I was defending myself."

"But you were defending me!"

"And like I said, I'd do it again in a heart beat," he said reaching out with his good arm and pulling me close to his chest. He wrapped his broken arm around my shoulders, too, hugging me tight. "This is all going to work itself out, Sugar. No worries, okay?"

"That's a tall order," I said quietly. "This is such a mess."

"Nothing we can't handle though. Right?"

I didn't answer him, because I wasn't sure I could handle it. If everything played out worst case, Emmett might be in real trouble – even jail – and Edward…my sweet, non-violent, live and let live, Edward might be criminally charged. All because of the choices I'd made a long time ago.

"Bella," Edward said pulling me out of my thoughts and shaking my shoulders gently. "Right?"

"But –"

He interrupted me and said, "No buts, Bella. You are going to have to trust me that no matter what happens with all this, everything is going to be okay. Worrying about things that may or may not ever come to pass is useless."

"It's against my nature not to worry, but I'll try."

"That's all I ask," he said roughly nudging his hand under my chin in an effort to lift my face.

"Ow!" we said in unison and then both cracked up.

"Sorry," he grumbled. "No chance in hell of being smooth with this thing."

"I don't care," I said and leaned in to kiss him.

"If you don't care," he said against my lips between kisses, "I don't care."

When he kissed me like that, I didn't care about anything. I wanted nothing more than to spend a well deserved, long, lusty, lazy day in bed with Edward, but we had one more bit of business to discuss and the clock was ticking.

I broke away from his lips breathless and barely able to speak. "Edward?"

"Hmm," he hummed, undeterred from my withdrawal as he continued to gently kiss the tender bruises on my neck.

"Alice is here," I stuttered, trying desperately to stay on task.

"Oh?" he mumbled and kept to his mission.

"Oh…yes," I squeaked in response as he made his way to that sensitive sweet spot just below my ear. "And the movers…shit…the movers will be here any minute."

I expected a half hearted complaint, but instead he stopped kissing me and immediately pulled back to look at me. "I told her to cancel that last night."

"And I told her this morning, not to," I replied.

He jerked his head back slightly in surprise. He blinked his eyes a few times before he said, "But I thought –"

"It's our house, Edward," I interrupted with an edge of defiance in my response.

"After what happened I just assumed you wouldn't be comfortable there," he explained. "I was ready to sell it and start looking all over again."

"I know, and I appreciate that – really I do," I said earnestly. "It seems like I've spent a lifetime waiting for this, waiting for my happy ending. This house, you, us – this was my happy beginning and I love _this_ house. I love what our moving together represents, and love that it's ours, and -"

"And you love the kitchen, right?" he said with a smart ass smirk on his face.

"Yes! And I love the kitchen," I said without shame or apology.

"Okay, kitchen aside," he said with a chuckle and then turned serious, "Will you feel safe there?"

"With you? Absolutely."

"Bella…?" he started in a questioning tone.

I huffed out a breath and said, "You told me that he doesn't get to win, and I believed you. Even after everything that happened yesterday, I _still _believe you."

He rubbed his hand roughly over his face and then through his messy hair. "I so didn't expect this."

"No?"

"Uhmm, no," he said dropping his hand in his lap.

"It's a great house," I sang in a saccharine sweet voice.

He snorted a laugh and agreed, "Yes, it is."

"And we're already packed and ready to go," I said looking around at all the boxes piled around the room.

"We are," he said, nearly conceding.

"And I already sent out the change of address forms to the post office," I said with a cheesy smile on my face.

"Oh. Well _that _changes things, doesn't it?" he said as he rolled his eyes. He quickly cut a sharp glance back and me, studying me for a moment. "Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?"

"Positive," I declared without hesitation.

"Okay, then," he said pushing away from where he sat and kissing me quickly. "Movers will be here soon, so I guess we'd better get going."

I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said as he hugged me back with only his good arm.

A quick, soft knock preceded Alice's entry into the bedroom. "Everybody decent?"

"Would it matter if we weren't?" Edward asked with a laugh.

"Hey, I knocked first," she said defensively.

"More like you knocked and opened the door simultaneously," Edward argued. "There's a difference."

"She did at least knock," I called out over my shoulder as I walked to the bathroom. I listened to Alice and Edward bicker and talk schedules while I took care of my morning business. I washed my face, dressed, put my hair in a pony tail and was in the middle of brushing my teeth when I heard Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper join the conversation.

When I opened the bathroom door I found all of them engaged in various stages of hovering over Edward. Rosalie was sitting next to him, propped up against the headboard. Jasper sat on the bed near his feet while Alice busied herself reading prescription bottles, dispensing more pain medication and then packing the bottles in a little to-go bag. Emmett held Edward's arm up at an odd angle, carefully inspecting the cast, commenting on the artistry of the thing – or more importantly the lack thereof.

"Hey, champ!" Jasper greeted me loudly.

Emmett dropped Edward's arm abruptly and turned to face me. "Bella."

"We hear you took that bastard down," Rosalie added.

"Sure did," I replied proudly.

The look in Emmett's eyes was a mix of relief, pride and something else I couldn't quite place. He took a couple of Emmett size strides towards me and put his hands on my shoulders. His eyes flickered to my neck and then back up to my face before he pulled me roughly into his arms.

"Oof!" The bones in my back cracked under the force in which he hugged me. I began to struggle to breathe much less speak. "Hey, Em," I choked as I patted him on the back."

"He's been really worried about you," Rosalie explained. "I don't think he slept much last night."

"Its okay, Em," I squeaked, still unable to catch a full breath.

"Poor guy," Alice said sympathetically.

Emmett sighed, exhaled a long held breath and relaxed his arms around me a bit. "Are you okay?" he mumbled quietly against my shoulder.

"I'm fine," I said alternately patting and then rubbing my hands across his back. "Are you?"

He sniffed abruptly and pulled away from me, but only slightly, and asked, "Am I what?"

"Are you okay?" I asked again.

"I'm good," he said mustering up all the macho, tough guy testosterone he could. His eyes glanced back to my neck as he let go. "Does it hurt?"

I reached up with one hand and rubbed my neck. "Not really. The little cuts on my hands hurt worse."

He took my hand and held it close to his face. "Did you get all the little slivers out?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but Alice answered for me.

"Yes! Of course I did," she said curtly.

"Just checkin'," he said, winking at me. "Don't want my girl here to survive that asshole only to die of some stupid infection or stray shard of glass."

I poked him in the chest playfully and laughed.

Alice rolled her eyes and started prodding Edward out of bed, encouraging him to get moving. He made a bit of a show about it all, but did what she asked. We left Edward to his privacy and went to the living room where I told the whole sordid story again.

"Did you really kick him in the nuts?" Emmett asked.

"Yep."

"Sweet!" he exclaimed and help up his hand, and I gingerly gave him the high five he wanted. "You did well, grasshoppa."

"Bella?" Edward called from the bedroom.

"Yeah?" I yelled back.

"Can you come here for a minute?" he shouted.

The doorbell rang.

"You go take care of him – I'll handle this," she ordered.

I didn't even pretend to be in charge of the whole moving thing. Clearly we were Alice's minions and she had it under control.

Edward was standing beside the bed, holding a towel in front of him with his good hand and the other across his chest. His skin was pink and dewy from the shower. Water dripped freely from his hair on his shoulders and down his chest. God, I was a lucky girl.

"What's up?" I asked as I walked towards him.

He sighed and looked down at an untidy pile of clothes on the bed. "I can manage the shirt, but I'm going to need a little help with the rest.

The consummate caretaker needed help. Amused and happy to comply, I bit back a smile and took the towel from him. He stood silent, but his eyes tracked me as I lovingly dried his hair and his body. He talked about the move, furniture delivery and art while I dressed him, and I was completely content to listen as I quietly tended to him.

We emerged from the bedroom to a flurry of activity. Rosalie and I were in charge of the final packing in the bedroom and of a now doped up Edward. Alice was in charge of the rest.

Emmett questioned the spatial planning skills of the movers as they packed the truck and I mourned the sole casualty of the day when a vase fell off the truck, but otherwise everything went smoothly.

By 7:00 that night we were officially moved. Thanks to Alice's direction and Emmett and Jasper's muscle, all the furniture was placed. Rosalie and I unpacked boxes as fast as we could, and Edward paced slowly around the house asking what he could do to help. He spent most of the day dragging art work and mirrors from room to room, propping them against the walls. He'd step back to visualize and consider and then he'd move them somewhere else. We watched him move the same piece a dozen times in an hour. Vicodin made Edward docile and surprisingly indecisive. He was content to putter around with the art, and we were content that he'd found something to do while we worked.

We ate pizza, drank beer and talked for another hour or so, and then I sent everyone home. I was thankful that I'd listened to Rosalie earlier in the day when she insisted that we make the bed. We were so tired, and Edward was in much more pain than he would admit, so if the bed had been nothing but a bare mattress, we likely would have just covered up with the comforter and called it a day.

Loopy from the pain meds, Edward mumbled some kind of disjointed, yet comical, apology about not being able to christen the bed.

I tucked the blankets around him and laughed at the sweet, incoherent ramblings of the man I loved, promising that we'd do it tomorrow. We had lots of tomorrows in our future, and that night, I went to sleep in our new bed, in our new house, curled around the man I adored, looking forward to every single one of them.

**E/N: Can't wait to hear what you think! The last chapter will post up on Friday. If you subscribe to this story, you'll be getting one last alert when the epi goes up. **


	33. Marry Me

**A/N: Chappie song for this, the last full chapter of Resto, is Marry Me by the Amanda Marshall. Go. Listen. Now. **

**I'm both happy and sad to post this update. I'm happy because I actually finished it, but sad because it has to end. I could chuck the outline and just keep writing it forever, but that's no bueno. All good things come to an end and alas the time has come for Restoration. **

**This could take a minute – if you're not into A/N's or gushy thank you's, then please skip ahead. I started Resto because I had a plot bunny bugging the crap out of me and I wanted to see if I could see a story trough from outline to epilogue. Seems I can, and I'm so grateful that I had so many supporting me along the way. WIP's are hard and for anyone considering writing and posting publicly, I'd advise that you get a better part of the story done before you begin to post. I thought I was ahead of the game when I had 3 chaps written before I even started posting. Grand plans for weekly updates soon turned to 4-6 weeks between posts. It's a process and while I know it was frustrating to you all as readers, I appreciate the fact that you kept reading. Thank you. **

**I feel compelled to go backm, read it from beginning to end and correct all the mistakes, but I'm afraid it would take as long to correct and revise as it did to write it in the first place. One day I might get a bug to do it, but for now, I think I'll leave it be. It's not perfect, but the lessons I learned and the time I spent with these characters and telling this story made it a perfect experience. **

**Katydid, Tigress and Yenafer – you girls are amazing and I'm so glad to call you friends. Speaking of which, Resto and my time in the fandom gifted me with some really great peeps. You all know who you are. Not many of us visit the boards anymore, but my, oh my, did we share some serious laughs, and some tears, over the last two years. I love you guys!**

**It only took 2 years, and exactly 2 months to do it – but it is done. Enjoy!**

* * *

BPOV

Mmmm…coffee…and bacon. I stretched my tired body, noticed Edward's absence and then lay on my back staring at the ceiling until the lure of the yummy breakfast smells became too much to resist. A wicked thought flickered through my foggy brain as I debated the actual getting up part; Edward couldn't dress without help. He'd fallen asleep naked as a jaybird and the thought of him making breakfast in the buff proved to be a powerful motivator, and something I very much wanted to see.

I eagerly tossed off the covers, pulled one of Edward's roomy t-shirts over my head and made a beeline for the kitchen. He came into view when I was about half way down the hall. He stood over the stove with his back to me, diligently tending to a sizzling frying pan. The counter blocked my view from the waist down, but he was at the very least shirtless. I smiled to myself as I tiptoed to the kitchen, staying the course and was only moderately disappointed when my sight finally cleared the counter to find that he'd somehow managed boxers.

Without turning away from the stove he greeted me cheerfully, "Good morning!"

"Morning," I replied slowly as I assessed the catastrophic damage that spread from the sink, past the coffee maker and to the edge of the stove. My brand new countertops were a disaster. Fresh coffee grounds, a whole, cracked egg, drippy but empty egg shells and the butchered empty remains of the greasy bacon packaging were scattered all over my beautiful granite.

"I'm glad you're up. I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed but," – he held up his broken hand – "I hadn't exactly figured out how to bring it to you yet."

"You shouldn't have," I said trying not to imply the mess as I moved to stand beside him. I rubbed one hand across the small of his back and picked up a piece of eggshell and tossed it in the sink.

He bent and kissed the top of my head and said, "Sorry about the mess."

"Countertops can be cleaned," I said wrapping my arms around his waist and snuggling against his back, "but nearly naked boyfriends determined to make breakfast with only one good hand is something to be admired."

"Surprised?"

"Stunned," I said as I rubbed my cheek against the smooth skin of his back.

"I hope you're hungry."

"Starving," I replied and began cleaning up.

"You don't have to do that," he said, wielding a spatula in my general direction.

"You cook, I'll clean. New house rules," I said as I wiped down the counter. "When I cook, you can clean."

A fiercely independent, decidedly right handed man, forced to be a lefty was a tedious thing to witness. Needless to say there was a lot of cursing and the spatula had to be fished out of the eggs more than once.

Edward awkwardly soldiered on managing the eggs in one pan and the bacon in another. I flitted around him quietly cleaning and resisting the urge to take over.

It wasn't until we were sitting on our new barstools, actually eating and only after he fumbled his fork for the second time that a long repressed giggle bubbled to the surface.

"It's not funny," he grumbled as he reached into his lap retrieving a dropped bit of scrambled egg and smacked it on his plate.

"It's _kinda_ funny," I said, staring down at my plate stabbing at the eggs with my fork. It was nearly impossible to keep from laughing.

I glanced up and saw a slight smile tug at the corner of his mouth as he nodded. "Kinda."

We looked at each other and then both broke out in a fit of laughter. I rubbed his back and said, "Maybe we could get you a plastic spoon."

"That's right, make fun of the invalid," he said with a laugh.

"You're not an invalid," I said. "You got dressed – well, at least you put on boxers all by yourself – and look at this delicious breakfast you made."

"Okay, now you're being a smart ass," he said bumping me with his shoulder.

"The coffee's good," I said as I took a sip.

He snorted a laugh and said, "We should just go to Nalla's."

"No way," I replied. "Today is the first day in weeks that we don't have to do anything. I'm not going anywhere for any reason."

"Not even for a decent meal?" he asked as he chased the eggs around his plate with the fork he had tightly fisted in his left hand like a toddler.

"Nope," I said, taking a bite of burnt bacon. "I'm eating what my beautiful, one-handed boyfriend made for me."

"I love you," he said putting down his fork and leaning in my direction.

I met him half way and kissed him, lingered for a second and then a third kiss and replied, "I love you, too."

He reached up and gently ran his fingertips along the side of my neck. His eyes went a bit soft as he asked, "Does it still hurt?"

"No, it doesn't," I replied quickly. "It looks worse than it feels."

"Hmmm," he hummed thoughtfully.

"What about you? How's your hand?"

He shrugged and dropped his hand from my neck and gingerly touched each of his still swollen fingers. "I took a pain pill when I woke up this morning, so it's not so bad right now. It's just going to take time. I'll be fine."

Time. We had lots of that.

I never wanted anyone or anything but Edward. Now that I had him – I mean, really had him – I knew I wanted more. In the movie, _When Harry Met Sally_, Harry has a sudden epiphany and breaks out into a sprint on the streets of New York to reach Sally on New Year's Eve. No time wasted and a flat out run to reach his love. There was no mincing of words when he finally reached her and no fear when he told her, "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of you life to start as soon as possible."

My heart raced and my pulse thundered in my ears. My eyes scanned his lovely face and for a moment I got lost in the clear, green depths of his eyes and in the glorious tangle of his bed head. I felt the dopey smile as it crept across my face, but I was helpless to retain any shred of cool or calm as I sorted my thoughts.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked playfully as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Marry me."

To his credit, Edward didn't spit coffee in my face or so much as flinch at my blunt proposal. He swallowed his coffee and calmly put down his mug. He pushed away his breakfast plate and said, "You do realize that you just deprived yourself of the biggest, most romantic, well orchestrated proposals of all time, right?"

"I bet it would have been the granddaddy of the grand gestures."

"Trust," he said with a sly smile.

"Probably cheated myself out of a stunning engagement ring too, didn't I?" I asked pressing my lips into a playful pout.

"Oh, there'll still be a stunning ring, don't you worry about that," he said taking my hand in his.

"So is that a 'yes'?" I asked as my eyes searched his.

"Most definitely, yes," he said and then stood so he could kiss me properly and take me in his arms.

We were both temporarily bruised and broken, but happy. Jaded from the journey but finally content. We had walked through fire and had come out of it a bit singed around the edges but unbelievably grateful. I'd found strength in my trial and he'd found peace in his. Anchored to him and the love between us I knew I'd never get lost again. The cynic in me still had a voice, but now the doubts niggling around in my head were little more than whispers. If I was being honest, I had to admit that I might lose my way again. But my new truth was that no matter how lost I might get, Edward would _always_ find me and bring me home.

* * *

**E/N: Awww…I'm gonna miss them! Epi should post up soon. Thanks for reading and please, let me know what you think. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on how this all played out. Review while you can – after the epi that's it. There will be no sequel and I seriously doubt there will be any outtakes. Can't imagine what I haven't told you about these characters, but I guess I should never say never. THANK YOU for making this such a great experience. MWAH!**


	34. Epilogue: You & Me

**A/N: This is it. Thanks again for reading and for your support. It's meant the world to me. **

**Chapter song for the epilogue is so perfect. You have to check it out. Dave Matthews Band, You & Me is quite possibly the perfect song for the Restoration epilogue. **

**Tigress and Katydid – you guys are the best. ILY! **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The plot and words are mine – the rest belongs to SM. **

* * *

BPOV

When the save-the-date notice arrived from the Forks Alumni Association about the 20 year class reunion, there hadn't been any question whether or not we'd make the pilgrimage home.

Edward and I celebrated two anniversaries every year. We always did something special in July to observe the day we reunited at the ten year reunion, and also celebrated our wedding anniversary in August. Going back to where it all started for us, twice mind you, for such an occasion just made sense. We all felt the same way, so we packed the mini van and the SUV's to the gill and road tripped it home.

Edward drove and I reflected over everything that had happened in the ten years since that reunion. We enjoyed great triumphs, suffered heartbreak and unbelievable joy. We waited for the fallout over the James business that never came. Turned out he'd had a much darker past than any of us had ever suspected, and after he was arrested for the assault on me, he was extradited to Texas and was currently serving 20 to life for the murder of a wife I never even knew existed. We got on with our lives and were free and happy to live every day to the fullest. There were weddings, babies and all the other lovely and sometimes messy bits of life that everyone deals with.

We stayed in the condo for a little more than five years and when we found out I was pregnant, we moved to West Seattle. It wasn't long before Jasper and Alice moved into the area, and Rosalie and Emmett followed soon after. We weren't exactly neighbors, but our kids did go to the same schools.

Saturday night was the big event in Forks and it turned out to be a great date night. It was so rare that the six of us went anywhere together without the kids, you'd think that kind of opportunity meant that we'd booze it up and talk about grown up things, but no, family, our super genius kids and their accomplishments, discoveries or their newest hilarious observations were the only topics of conversation.

On the Sunday after the reunion, Esme and Carlisle hosted a big family day for all the classmates and their families, much like they had ten years ago. What had been a relatively small barbeque back then resembled a circus now. Baseball was replaced with a whiffle bat and a t-ball stand and instead of a Mariner's game on TV, there was a steady stream of Sponge Bob and the Wiggles on the big screen, and the lawn was crawling with children and doting parents, grandparents and family friends.

"Please, Mama, enough sun scream," my squirmy and now slippery four year old begged.

"Almost done, babe," I said as I hurriedly, but thoroughly slathered his perfectly un-freckled baby skin with 45 SPF. "Just let me get your ears."

My precious Eli wasn't necessarily opposed to the ritual but he was so excited he was literally dancing with anticipation. He was dying to be the first on the slip-n-slide that crazy Uncle Em had made that he could barely contain himself. He bounced on the balls of his feet, anxiously glancing across the lawn where Emmett was spraying down a massive swath of plastic with a water hose.

"Oh, Mama, pleeeeease hurry," he whined sweetly. "Uncle Em said first monkey goes first. I _have_ to go first."

Being raised by the village, so to speak, with a pack mentality, these five, soon to be six little beings were refining a strong competitive streak. Eli's head whipped between me to the patio where Rosalie was with her two kiddos and then over to where Jasper was doing his best to cover Olivia in sun screen.

"Okay, you're all set," I said and Eli shot out of my arms. Of course I called after him to which he stopped and turned back to me, only slightly panicked that this precious time was going to cost him the first trip down the slide. "Loves before you go."

He rolled his eyes and ran back to me. His whole body crashed into my waiting arms. He kissed quickly and then looked back anxiously over his shoulder. I gave him a quick squeeze, told him to mind Uncle Em before I let him go.

I watched Eli as he raced to Emmett's side with Olivia hot on his heels. First monkey. By the blur of hand gestures and the look of real concentration on Eli's face, I could only guess that he was giving him some strict safety instructions or tips on how to do something crazy that as his mother, I didn't want to know. I was pretty sure it was the latter.

Emmett's four year old Lilly ran up the slope to join them at the top of the slide. She threw her arms around Eli's neck and they shared a rather animated exchanged which elicited a loud laugh from Emmett.

"C'mon, monkeys! You better hurry up!" Emmett bellowed. He was like the pied piper and had traded being King of the Dipshits for being King of the Monkeys. They adored him and he lived to entertain them. All of them.

"You wait, Daddy!" little three year old Violet shrieked as she and Rosalie waddled across the yard, hand in hand.

Rosalie and Emmett had a terrible time conceiving but in true stubborn form, they didn't let a little thing like infertility stand in their way. Loads of research, paperwork, a little red tape, one trip to China and then two years later a trip to Haiti, and they'd found their family. After eight years and the heartbreak of being reproductively challenged, Rosalie found out she was pregnant.

Lilly and Violet wanted a brother and from the looks of the latest ultra sound, it seemed likely they'd get their wish. Good thing too, Edward joked, because otherwise they might carry on with the whole flower thing and she'd be named Gladiola or Petunia. That and Eli was surrounded by girls – he wanted a boy, too, only he didn't care what they named him.

As Rosalie's belly grew and at Emmett's encouragement, the monkeys took to calling the baby Big Mac. It was only a matter of time for the rest of us to follow suit.

I walked over to join Rosalie near the end of the slide. With Emmett in charge, someone had to be the fun police.

"How're you feeling, hot mama?" I asked a definitively puffy and uncomfortable Rosalie.

"If I said I was good, you'd know I was lying," she said as she slowly looked over the top of her sunglasses at me.

"I hate to tell you, but the last three weeks are the real killer."

"Great. Just a minute – Emmett!" she shouted, "Watch V!"

"I'll get her," Jasper said as he jogged past us.

"Don't worry, Aunt Ro. I'll go down with baby V so she don't get hurt," Olivia called out from the top of the slide.

Jasper and Alice hadn't planned on kids, but Miss Olivia surprised us all. Being the true first monkey and Alice's child, she was good at watching over the little ones and content to be in charge.

Charlie brought over two of those cushy camping chairs and set them up for us. He helped Rosalie ease down in the chair and then started asking questions about the construction of the super slide. He decided no grandson of his was going down the thing without proper stake inspection. Rosalie and I breathed a little easier when Carlisle joined him on stake duty. We were more relieved when Eli called Pop and Papa up to slide with them. A dozen or more kids had gathered around Emmett and although he didn't look like he needed help, we were glad to have the granddads on the case.

Esme joined us, bringing a blanket to sit on and an armful of towels. Of course she had her camera in hand to document the fun. Before she sat down she lovingly rubbed Rosalie's bump, whispered a sweet something to big Mac and then kissed her belly. We were all so lucky. Esme and Carlise and even Charlie loved all our kids as if they were their own.

Rosalie, Esme and I were talking pregnancy, swollen hands and feet and pre-schools when Alice popped up behind us. "Eli looks nervous."

"Go E-I!" Lilly encouraged.

"Hurry up E-I!" Olivia shouted impatiently.

"E-I…can they really still not say his name?" Esme asked as she clicked picture after picture.

"I think they can," I replied. I reached over and rubbed Rosalie's belly. "But now it's a little like Big Mac here. E-I just kind of works for them."

"I hope they never say it right," Alice said. "I think it's sweet."

"It makes his dad bananas but I kind of love it," I said and then watched my daredevil son take a running start and belly flop on the plastic sheet of death.

His run was fast and out of control and when he hit the end of the slide, he tumbled end over end on the grass. The whole party was cheering and laughing when Eli jumped up triumphantly and completely covered in grass.

"That's my boy," I said with a laugh.

His eyes were huge and his smile stretched from ear to ear. Laughing like mad, he said, "Whoa! That was fun!"

"Duh," Emmett's eldest daughter teased and laughed with him. "Now move, so I can go!"

I watched the kids make a couple more runs down the slide and then asked the girls to watch Eli while I went looking for Edward. I scanned the yard and found him swinging in the hammock.

He was lying on his back, one foot on the ground pushing a slow, gentle swing with our beautiful 15 month old, Charlotte, sprawled across his chest. His eyes were closed and the two of them looked so content…so precious. He had one hand spread across her back and held one of her chubby bare feet in the other. Charlotte's curly auburn hair was damp with sweat and curled around the back of her head. Her cheek was pressed flat against his chest and her little mouth was open with her lips puffed out like a fishy kiss.

I ran my hand over Charlotte's head and bent to kiss her.

"There's room if you want to join us," Edward whispered. He opened his eyes and smiled softly at me.

"I'd love to," I said and leaned to kiss him, too. I walked around to the other side of the hammock trying to determine the best approach. Getting in and out of the thing had always been hard, but I wasn't sure how I'd manage it now without dumping Edward and my baby in the process.

"Butt first," he suggested quietly as he shifted his body and tried to used his grounded leg as leverage so I could get in.

It wasn't pretty, but I managed to climb in beside them without killing us all. Edward held out his arm so I could snuggle in close, keeping one hand pressed against Charlotte's back, trying to keep the jostling to a minimum.

"You should have seen Eli on Emmett's slide," I said as I reached up and tugged at the pink hem of Charlotte's dress. I smoothed the fabric over her little bum and patted her gently. "He was a wild man."

"I watched from here," he said as he absently ran his fingers up and down my arm. "You know, he's fearless like me and clumsy like you. It's kind of a scary combination."

"Might be scary, but it's a beautiful combination," I said tipping my head up to look at him.

"No argument there," he said as he glanced down and kissed me.

Even with a sleeping baby between us, this was the most alone moment we'd enjoyed in a long time. We kissed, talked, laughed and held each other, completely uninterrupted for a good half hour. Considering we had two kids, busy jobs, and the fact that we traveled in a pack of 11 – soon to be an even dozen – 30 minutes of quiet time was a gift.

We didn't notice Eli until he reached out and tugged on Edward's sleeve. "Daddy?"

Edward turned his head over his shoulder toward Eli and said, "Hey, buddy. Did you have fun?"

Eli had a striped towel wrapped and tucked around his waist and his brown hair was damp and unruly. He nodded and rubbed his eye with his fist and then said, "Papa said he'd take me and Lil fishing, but only if we took a nap first."

"Climb on in," Edward said as he nudged his head towards me. "We'll all take a nap."

A broad smile broke across his face and his green eyes sparked mischievously just before he hitched his leg on the ropes of the hammock and began climbing over Charlotte and Edward.

"Careful, bud," I squeaked and sat up quickly to grab his wiry little body and pull him up and over them.

"I can do it myself, Mama," he complained.

"Oh, I'm sure you can," I said with a snort, "but if you wake up your sister, _no one_ will get a nap, and Papa will have to take Lilly fishing without you."

"No way Jose'," he said quickly as he wedged his little body between me and Edward.

"Yes way," I sassed back, helping him untangle from the towel twisted around his little body.

Charlotte stirred and quickly turned her head so that she was facing me and Eli. Her cheek was bright red and was marked with little creases from Edward's shirt. She let out a heavy sigh and a whine.

"Shhh," Edward shushed us and soothed her as he patted her back gently.

Eli reached out and gently stroked Charlotte's hand. I thought to stop him, but he was being so sweet and tender with her, I couldn't do it. He ran his fingers across hers over and over, quietly singing to himself, or to her, we were never sure which. After a few minutes his singing quieted and his hand went completely limp on Edward's chest.

Ten years ago I thought one chance at big love was all we were given and that Edward and I had been careless with our turn. Turns out there were no limits on big love and that we weren't necessarily just given one. The two precious souls lying in the swing with us was the proof. Big love doesn't happen by chance and when you embrace it and surrender completely it has the power to restore a broken spirit and sustain you for a lifetime.

* * *

**E/N: The End. Fin. Finito. It's over. Writing the epi was crazy fun and I loved taking a peak ten years down the road. **

**I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I enjoyed mapping the trip. Now that it's really over…what was your favorite part? Your favorite chapter? Your favorite chapter song? I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks for reading! Texbelle out. **


End file.
